inconclusive

English

Alternative forms

• nonconclusive

Etymology

From in- +‎ conclusive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪnkənˈkluːsɪv/, /ˌɪŋkəŋˈkluːsɪv/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

inconclusive (comparative more inconclusive, superlative most inconclusive)

1. Not conclusive, not leading to a conclusion.
   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Chofen planetary description:

     Chofen is an unusually small hydrogen-helium gas giant, with traces of sulphur and hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. The Alliance surveyor ship Ibn Battuta provided inconclusive evidence of hydrocarbon life in the atmosphere (over 1000 meters below the cloud tops), where pressure compresses Chofen's hydrogen into a liquid state.

   • 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport‎:

     He met Luis Suarez's cross at the far post, only for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to show brilliant reflexes to deflect his header on to the bar. Carroll turned away to lead Liverpool's insistent protests that the ball had crossed the line but referee Phil Dowd and assistant referee Andrew Garratt waved play on, with even a succession of replays proving inconclusive.

Derived terms

• inconclusively
• inconclusiveness

Translations

not leading to a conclusion

Bulgarian: неубедителен (bg) (neubeditelen) Dutch: niet beslissend, niet overtuigend, niet afdoend, onduidelijk (nl), weifelend (nl) Esperanto: malcerta sg, senkonkluda sg Finnish: epäselvä (fi), epävarma (fi) (unsure), tulokseton (fi) (resultless) French: pas concluant Polish: niejednoznaczny (pl)