Synonyms

open question

British

noun

a matter which is undecided
a question that cannot be answered with a yes or no but requires a developed answer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

open question Idioms

An unresolved issue, one that has not been finally determined. For example, Whether the town should pave all the unpaved roads remains an open question. In the mid-1800s this term acquired a specific meaning in the British Parliament, that is, “an issue on which members may vote independently, without respect to their party affiliation.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Just how successful the merger of two legacy media outlets that are both facing financial pressures would be, remains an open question.

From BBC

“And so if that, in fact, was true, what is the urgency as of this moment? That’s an open question, and the American people need a real explanation.”

From Salon

Who will win is an open question, but Nepali journalist Sudheer Sharma said it will likely be "very difficult" for any single party to secure a majority, meaning longstanding political dynamics may continue.

From Barron's

“It is a genuinely open question at the moment.”

From The Wall Street Journal

But he said it remained an open question of when those factors would lead to a recovery in remodeling activity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023