Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Refusing commitment to a particular opinion or course of action; not revealing what one feels or thinks.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Disinclined to express an opinion one way or the other; unwilling to commit one's self to any particular view or course; as, he was entirely non-committal.
- That does not commit or pledge one to any particular view or course; not involving an expression of opinion or preference for any particular course of action; free from pledge or entanglement of any kind: as, a non-committal answer or statement; non-committal behavior.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A state of not being committed or pledged; forbearance or refusal to commit one's self. Also used adjectively.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Tending to avoid
commitment ; lackingcertainty ordecisiveness ;reluctant togive out information or show one'sfeelings oropinion .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective refusing to bind oneself to a particular course of action or view or the like
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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If you're approached by a spy, "remain noncommittal, neither refusing nor agreeing to cooperate."
Is national security deputy Donilon moving up? Al Kamen 2010
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If you're approached by a spy, "remain noncommittal, neither refusing nor agreeing to cooperate."
Is national security deputy Donilon moving up? Al Kamen 2010
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He and the Cavaliers remain noncommittal about his return, but Hughes still isn't able to run comfortably. ...
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He gazed down at her with interest, his expression noncommittal, his mouth set in a thin, inscrutable line.
Dirge Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 2000
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When an author has agreed to do an interview, the journalist assumes the publicist is stonewalling when the interview is not scheduled.) Instead, a polite way for you to respond to an interview query if you’re an author is to ask for more information, but remain noncommittal with, Thanks for your interest.
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When an author has agreed to do an interview, the journalist assumes the publicist is stonewalling when the interview is not scheduled.) Instead, a polite way for you to respond to an interview query if you’re an author is to ask for more information, but remain noncommittal with, Thanks for your interest.
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When an author has agreed to do an interview, the journalist assumes the publicist is stonewalling when the interview is not scheduled.) Instead, a polite way for you to respond to an interview query if you’re an author is to ask for more information, but remain noncommittal with, Thanks for your interest.
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Nick’s eyes narrowed as he sensed her apprehension, and he forced himself to relax, his expression noncommittal, hands loose at his sides.
Pregnant by the Millionaire Mortimer, Carole 2006
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"He gazed down at her with interest, his expression noncommittal, his mouth set in a thin, inscrutable line.
Dirge Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 2000
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[_He makes a grave tour of inspection of the place, his expression noncommittal; goes about casually without making a point of it; he writes his initials in the dust on a filing case.
The Gibson Upright Booth Tarkington 1907
bilby commented on the word noncommittal
I'm not sure if I like this word. Not sure.
August 12, 2008