Open-ended

adj

adj ·4 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Unrestricted by definite limits. not-comparable

    "There will be an open-ended discussion."

  2. 2
    Adaptable to change. not-comparable

    "The topic is definitions, but is open-ended really."

  3. 3
    Permitting a spontaneous or unstructured response. not-comparable

    "I'll ask you an open-ended question."

  4. 4
    Of a straight draw, made up of four consecutive cards, thus able to be completed by either of two ranks of card. not-comparable

    "The flop of 3-6-Q gave Brunson an open-ended straight draw with his 4-5 of hearts."

Adjective
  1. 1
    allowing for future changes or revisions wordnet
  2. 2
    allowing for a spontaneous response wordnet
  3. 3
    without fixed limits or restrictions wordnet

Example

More examples

"This interview question is open-ended!"

Related phrases

open-ended contractopen-ended questionopen-endedly

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.