remain to be seen
Outcome not known
Something that remains to be seen is not yet known or determined—the outcome is uncertain and will only become clear with time.
The phrase acknowledges that a question exists while deferring judgment: Whether the new policy will work remains to be seen.
It often carries a hint of skepticism: He says he's changed, but that remains to be seen.
- waitDelay until later
- wait and seeDefer until clarity comes
- unresolvedLacking final determination
- suspenseAnxious uncertainty about outcomes
- uncertainNot firmly known
unveiling · pending · pause · contingency · doubtful · undecided · unknown · open question · unfolding · temporality · threshold · ambiguity · speculation · fog · crystal ball · potentiality · inconclusive · possibility
remain to be seenset in stone
Permanently fixed, unalterable
beyond question · certain · settled · decided · carved in stone
remain to be seenself-evident
Requiring no demonstration
obvious · plain as day · clear as day · evident · manifest
remain, remains, remained, remaining, remainder, seen, seeing, invisible