open-ended

1. 1.

   without fixed limits or restrictions

   “an open-ended discussion”

   Similarunrestricted
2. 2.

   allowing for a spontaneous response

   “an open-ended question”

   Similarindeterminate
3. 3.

   allowing for future changes or revisions

   “open-ended agreements”

   Similarchangeable

Questions about open-ended

What does open-ended mean?

open-ended means "without fixed limits or restrictions". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in open-ended?

open-ended has 4 syllables: o-pe-n-en-ded. The stress falls on "o". In IPA it is /ˈoʊpəˌnɛndəd/.

Is open-ended a common word?

open-ended is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.