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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

non-committal

Adjective

IPA /ˌnɒn kəˈmɪtl/

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Meaning in plain English

Avoiding a clear statement of opinion, intention or agreement.

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Pronunciation

non-committal/ˌnɒn kəˈmɪtl/

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  1. Will you support the plan?

  2. The answer avoids a definite position

A non-committal response does not clearly express agreement, disagreement or intention.

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Examples in context

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  1. She gave a non-committal answer when I suggested a weekend away.
  2. The manager remained non-committal about funding the new project.

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She gave a ________ answer when I suggested a weekend away.
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non-committal — Avoiding a clear statement of opinion, intention or agreement.

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Avoiding a clear statement of opinion, intention or agreement.

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Word origin

Formed from non-, meaning not, and committal.

Did you know?

Non-committal reply, answer and tone leave the speaker's position unclear.

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non-committal

/ˌnɒn kəˈmɪtl/ (Adjective)

“Noncommittal is another spelling. Being non-committal does not necessarily mean refusing; it means withholding a definite position.”

englishskillstudio.com