Adam R Brown

Okay boys and girls, the word of the day is conclusory. Say it together: conclusory.

Now, conclusory is a funny word. These days, most people use it when what they really mean is “conclusive.” That’s not the meaning I’m attaching to the word. I’m using the meaning given in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law:

Conclusory: consisting of or relating to a conclusion or assertion for which no supporting evidence is offered.

Right now I’m grading a big stack of final exams. Many students do excellent work. These grade-A students know that merely asserting something does not make it true; they understand that they also need to argue the point. These students get good grades. But students who write conclusory answers do not.

Incidentally, Google returns no hits for “conclusoritis,” the title of this post. Remember that I coined it when it becomes the new trendy word of 2008.