o´pen|end´ed|ness

o|pen-end|ed «OH puhn EHN dihd», adjective.

1. open to later consideration, revision, or adjustment: »

an open-ended settlement.

2. not closed at either end: »

an open-ended stovepipe.

3. not committed or predisposed; admitting many views or interpretations: »

His exchanges between Mr. White and Mr. Black abounded in ambiguously open-ended clues to their real identity (Time).

4. limitless, as in power, effect, or consequence: »

The hydrogen bomb is an open-ended weapon.…if you want to make it more powerful, you just shovel in more of the heavy-hydrogen mixture (Saturday Evening Post).

5. having no single answer or response: »

an open-ended question, an open-ended test.

6. having no fixed time limit: »

The Government was proposing to introduce “open-ended” drinking hours (Manchester Guardian Weekly).

–o´pen|end´ed|ness, noun.