Nonfinality

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of lacking a definitive conclusion or permanence allows for ongoing evaluation or modification in any situation
2. This state signifies the absence of a final judgment or irremovable outcome, permitting future deliberations and decisions
3. The quality of not reaching a last or absolute decision, leaving room for further change

Etymology: "Nonfinality" is a plain formation: the prefix "non-" attached to "finality," itself built from "final." The prefix comes from Latin "non," meaning "not," and it has been used freely in English to create negated nouns, so "nonfinality" simply names the absence of finality. "Finality" descends from the Latin "finis," meaning "end" or "boundary," which gave English "final" and "finish" as well. The sense of "final" as "conclusive, settled beyond change" is what makes "finality" the quality of being decisive or irrevocable. Negating it yields a term for the condition of remaining open, where a decision or situation has not yet been settled and can still shift.

Synonyms: incompleteness, indeterminacy

Antonyms: finality, certainty, conclusiveness