open question

British  

noun

1. a matter which is undecided

2. a question that cannot be answered with a yes or no but requires a developed answer

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open question Idioms  

1. An unresolved issue, one that has not been finally determined. For example, Whether the town should pave all the unpaved roads remains an open question. In the mid-1800s this term acquired a specific meaning in the British Parliament, that is, “an issue on which members may vote independently, without respect to their party affiliation.”

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Example Sentences

Whether that translates into a use case for consumers, SoFi’s main customer base, is an open question.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

It is an open question how Iran might respond, or how much of a threat it might pose to US ground troops targeting the country's main nuclear facilities.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Explaining this discrepancy is now an important open question for researchers.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

Whether the war’s early unpopularity will change the course of events, though, remains an open question.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

Nevertheless, it remains an open question how wide and lasting the effects of idiosyncratic individuals on history really are.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond