not committing one to any point of view or course of action; not revealing one's position or purpose: a noncommittal response to a question
adjective
The definition of noncommittal is a person or behavior that is vague and that does not reveal a commitment to something or position on something.
A vague answer to a question that doesn't really reveal your position is an example of something that would be described as noncommittal.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"noncommittal." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Noncommittal>.
APA Style
noncommittal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Noncommittal
noncommittal
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"noncommittal." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Noncommittal>.
APA Style
noncommittal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Noncommittal
noncommittal
adjective
Refusing commitment to a particular opinion or course of action; not revealing what one feels or thinks: “His face was the color of a freshly baked pork pie and as noncommittal” ( Thomas Pynchon )
Related Forms:
- non′com·mit′tal·ly
adverb
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"noncommittal." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Noncommittal>.
APA Style
noncommittal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Noncommittal
Adjective
(comparative more noncommittal, superlative most noncommittal)
- Tending to avoid commitment; lacking certainty or decisiveness; reluctant to give out information or show one's feelings or opinion.
Origin
non- +"Ž committal
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"noncommittal." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Noncommittal>.
APA Style
noncommittal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Noncommittal
Sentence Examples
- His nod was noncommittal as he examined the place where the car had gone over.
- Carmen lifted her shoulders in a noncommittal shrug.
- I tried to appear noncommittal.
- I told her I'd asked the same question of Martha earlier and she'd been noncommittal.
- Carmen lifted her shoulders in a noncommittal shrug.
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Words near noncommittal in the dictionary
- noncommittal
- noncommissioned-officers
- noncommital
- noncommitment