noncommittal
Americanadjective
adjective
-
not involving or revealing commitment to any particular opinion or course of action
a noncommittal reply
-
rare having no outstanding quality, meaning, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of noncommittal
Explanation
When you want to keep all your options open, stay noncommittal. This means you say "maybe" and "I'll see if I can do that," rather than making promises to do specific things. It’s pretty easy to figure out the meaning of noncommittal just by picking apart the word. The non- prefix means “not.” And you see the word commit in noncommittal. So you know that the word is going to have something to do with “not commit.” You might also recognize the suffix -al, which is a tip-off that this word is an adjective that means "not being willing to commit."
Vocabulary lists containing noncommittal
Anti-Antonyms: Words Without Opposites
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "N"
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And Then There Were None
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Noncommittal but encouraging "urns" and "ahs" are helpful too.
From Time Magazine Archive
Noncommittal until then on the Kleindienst confirmation, Ervin made it plain that he would not vote to confirm until Flanigan appears before the committee.
From Time Magazine Archive
Noncommittal as it had need to be—filled with home items to the last page—there his heart stood still, to bound again furiously back, and his breath came sharp and hot.
From The Continental Monthly, Vol 6, No 5, November 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
