Inconclusive Meaning
/ˌɪnkənˈkluːsɪv/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjNot conclusive, not leading to a conclusion.
Sentence Examples
The result of the experiment was inconclusive.
The results are inconclusive.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
After several hours of analysis, the lab's DNA results remained ____, requiring a second examination.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The initial medical tests were ____, so the doctor ordered several more detailed examinations.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English conclusive English inconclusive From in- + conclusive.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Chofen planetary description:
"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."
— 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
"despite preliminary evidence of heightened vulnerability to PTSD in autistic individuals (Hoover, 2015; Kildahl et al., 2020), research is inconclusive as to whether there is a stronger association between PTSD and adverse health outcomes for autistic, relative to non-autistic individuals."
— 2025 May 17, Emily Hotez, Rebecca K. Tsevat, Sha Tao, Jenny Mai Phan, Philip Smith, Tammy Shen, Jonas Ventimiglia, Liliana Rivera, Hailey Kissner, Lisa A. Croen, Lindsay Shea, “Autism, Obesity, and PTSD Among Adolescents and Young Adults: An Analysis of National Medicaid Claims Data”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, →DOI:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After several hours of analysis, the lab's DNA results remained ____, requiring a second examination.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The initial medical tests were ____, so the doctor ordered several more detailed examinations.