adjective / preposition
pending
PEN-ding/pˈɛndɪŋ/
Waiting for something to happen or be resolved.
The file remains pending while the office waits for a decision.
Etymology
Something pending is figuratively left hanging rather than settled. This sense follows Latin legal usage in which a lawsuit still in progress was described as “hanging,” or undecided.
In context
we're waiting for the the round of testing after the replacement to come back so that's pending
More examples
- Payment is pending approval.
- We suspended the work pending further instructions.
- Several applications were still pending.
Forms
pending
Similar words
- unresolved
- Emphasizes lack of a decision rather than awaiting action.
- awaiting
- Awaiting emphasizes waiting for an event rather than remaining undecided.