conclusion

[ kuhn-kloo-zhuhn ]

noun

1. the end or close; final part.

   Synonyms: finale, completion, termination, ending

   Antonyms: beginning

2. the last main division of a discourse, usually containing a summing up of the points and a statement of opinion or decisions reached.

   Synonyms: summation

3. a result, issue, or outcome; settlement or arrangement:

   The restitution payment was one of the conclusions of the negotiations.

4. final decision:

   The judge has reached his conclusion.

5. a reasoned deduction or inference.
6. Logic. a proposition concluded or inferred from the premises of an argument.
7. Law.
   1. the effect of an act by which the person performing the act is bound not to do anything inconsistent therewith; an estoppel.
   2. the end of a pleading or conveyance.
8. Grammar. apodosis.

conclusion

/ kənˈkluːʒən /

noun

1. end or termination
2. the last main division of a speech, lecture, essay, etc
3. the outcome or result of an act, process, event, etc (esp in the phrase a foregone conclusion )
4. a final decision or judgment; resolution (esp in the phrase come to a conclusion )
5. logic
   1. a statement that purports to follow from another or others (the premises ) by means of an argument
   2. a statement that does validly follow from given premises
6. law
   1. an admission or statement binding on the party making it; estoppel
   2. the close of a pleading or of a conveyance
7. in conclusion
   lastly; to sum up
8. jump to conclusions
   to come to a conclusion prematurely, without sufficient thought or on incomplete evidence

Other Words From

• con·clusion·al adjective
• con·clusion·al·ly adverb
• noncon·clusion noun
• precon·clusion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of conclusion¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin conclūsiōn-, stem of conclūsiō “a closing,” equivalent to conclūs(us) “closed” (past participle of conclūdere conclude ) + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of conclusion¹

C14: via Old French from Latin; see conclude , -ion

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in conclusion, finally:

   In conclusion, I would like to thank you for your attention.

2. try conclusions with, to engage oneself in a struggle for victory or mastery over, as a person or an impediment.

More idioms and phrases containing conclusion

see foregone conclusion ; jump to a conclusion .

Synonym Study

See end ¹.

Example Sentences

The conclusions drawn in Southern Patagonia might be replicated in Norway, Alaska, Iceland or New Zealand.

From Science Daily

Below, we look into the challenges when it comes to reaching an exact conclusion on the numbers affected, and provide more detail on which figures are more reliable - and explain why.

From BBC

Last month Lord Hermer told the BBC he would not allow political considerations to influence his conclusions if the ICC were to issue an arrest warrant.

From BBC

The program “had not adequately supported its conclusions,” the peer reviewers wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

But by lunchtime, the nominee had come to the conclusion he didn't have the votes and he again shocked Washington with the announcement that he was showing himself the door.

From BBC

Related Words

• closure
• completion
• consequence
• denouement
• development
• ending
• outcome
• result

More About Conclusion

What is a conclusion?

The conclusion is the final section of an essay. It summarizes the points made in the essay and restates the thesis statement in different words.

Students are usually taught to write an essay in three parts, with the first part being the introduction, followed by the body and ending with a conclusion.

While the introduction is often considered the most important part of an essay, the conclusion is often the trickiest part to write. The goal of the conclusion is to summarize all of the major points of the essay without repeating them word for word.

Articles, opinion pieces, blog posts, research papers, and other types of writing also include conclusions to tie all the points together and emphasize their importance.

Why is conclusion important?

The first records of the word conclusion come from around 1300. It ultimately comes from the Latin verb conclūdere, meaning “to end an argument.”

Just like with introductions, your teacher will likely tell you that the conclusion should only be as long as it needs to be to do its job.

To write a good conclusion, you often begin with a transition and restate your thesis using different wording from the introduction. Next, you’ll repeat the main points you made in the body using the same wording and without introducing any new information or arguments. You can then end your conclusion with a thought-provoking statement or a call to action that demonstrates the importance of the essay’s topic.

The most important job of the conclusion is to tie everything together and to avoid rambling or repeating things that have already been said.

Did you know … ?

Because the conclusion comes last in an essay, writers often write it last. This can make writing the conclusion easier because you know what your introduction and body say.

What are real-life examples of conclusion?

This image gives an example of how an effective conclusion can be used even in an essay covering a complex subject.

<img loading="lazy" src="https://library.aut.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0019/123229/Example-conclusion-paragraph.png" alt="" width="1916" height="921" />

Library.aut.ac.nz

While most students aren’t fans of writing conclusions, they often see them as the finish line of essay writing.

The conclusion to my essay on "Savitri: Some Aspects of Its Style."
Ed. RY. Deshpande. Perspectives of Savitri, Part II. pic.twitter.com/bUJCEaAJcn

— Goutam Ghosal (@GoutamGhosal3) June 4, 2021

What other words are related to conclusion?

• essay
• introduction
• body
• thesis statement
• summary

Quiz yourself!

True or False?

The conclusion repeats the thesis statement and summarizes the main points of the essay.