Meaning & use
open interpretation
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
A situation in which something can be understood in more than one way, because it is not clearly explained.
Grammar: Often used in the pattern 'be open to interpretation': The ending is open to interpretation.
Patterns
- be open to interpretation
- leave something open to interpretation
The final scene of the film is open to interpretation, so viewers disagree about what it means.
Her email was open to interpretation; I wasn't sure if she was angry or just busy.
The law is open to interpretation, and different courts have applied it in different ways.
Common combinations
- be open to interpretation
- The poem's meaning is open to interpretation.
- leave something open to interpretation
- The director left the ending open to interpretation.
- open to different interpretations
- The results are open to different interpretations.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ambiguous
- Use 'ambiguous' as an adjective for something that has more than one possible meaning; 'open to interpretation' is the phrase you use when you want to say who can interpret it.
- unclear
- This is a more general word meaning not easy to understand; it does not necessarily suggest that multiple interpretations are possible.
Opposites
Commonly confused: open interpretation or open to suggestion?
open interpretation vs open to suggestion
This means willing to listen to new ideas, not that something can be understood in different ways.
Practice
The ending of the novel is ___ to interpretation.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase uses the adjective 'open' after the verb 'be': is open to interpretation. 'Opened' is a past-tense verb and does not fit after 'is' in this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “open interpretation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.