How to Use clear-cut in a Sentence

clear-cut

1 of 2 adjective
  • But the case might not be all that clear-cut.
    — Clio Chang, Curbed, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Still, Paras told himself that the case was far from clear-cut.
    — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023
  • This time around, the circumstances aren’t quite as clear-cut.
    — Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2023
  • The law on self-defense isn’t as clear-cut here as in other states.
    — Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2023
  • For folks who keep a kosher or halal diet, the issue is a bit less clear-cut.
    — Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 30 June 2023
  • The design credentials are less clear-cut.
    — New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2026
  • But for people living with a rare disease, the issue isn't so clear-cut.
    — Brad Quick, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026
  • Those all seem more serious and in some ways clear-cut than the Daniels matter.
    — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Just a little bit later, the story isn’t looking so clear-cut.
    — Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
  • The line between the frontlines and the homefront in terms of injuries is no longer clear-cut.
    — Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026
  • The crackdown on vendors who use free speech claims to skirt city rules is less clear-cut, officials said.
    — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Oct. 2023
  • Williams’ feelings towards retirement have not been clear-cut.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023
  • But the lines between such videos and propaganda are not always clear-cut.
    — Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
  • What the heat dome means for wildfire activity in the West is less clear-cut.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
  • The airport’s public-facing website isn’t clear-cut about who’s paying for the changes.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 9 July 2026
  • More clear-cut was that seeing a chronological feed drove users to spend their time elsewhere online.
    — WIRED, 27 July 2023
  • Although this simple answer may be right most of the time, there may also be cases in which things are not quite so clear-cut.
    — Matthew Fisher, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2018
  • However, that distinction isn’t so clear-cut.
    — A.j. Russo, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2026
  • But the reality of executing this plan was far from clear-cut.
    — Ann Roberts, Fortune, 16 May 2023
  • Still, with average hourly earnings showing no signs of a wage-price spiral, the picture is not clear-cut.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • As clear-cut as the rules may seem, there have been different interpretations.
    — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Lone star and other tick species eventually receded as forests were clear-cut.
    — Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal, 12 Feb. 2026
  • Here, there is only one certainty — the evil of the Empire — but beyond that, things aren’t as clear-cut.
    — Rafael Motamayor, IndieWire, 6 Apr. 2026
  • However, deciding when to remove life support is not clear-cut.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026
  • But the American obsession with this now-ubiquitous side is more clear-cut.
    — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
  • In those cases that aren’t as clear-cut, here are three questions to ask yourself about your diet, Rollin and Mokari said.
    — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
  • But if the swiftness of the decision seemed clear-cut and ringingly decisive, the verdict proved less so.
    — Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2023
  • By this standard, the case for cooperation with an India or a Poland is clear-cut.
    — Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
  • For RedBird, the consequences of failing to build a stadium are less clear-cut.
    — Paolo Confino, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
  • Some of what was spared from the fire was clear-cut to make room for unpermitted grows and associated infrastructure.
    — courier-journal.com, 1 June 2023

clear-cut

2 of 2 verb
  • Stambaugh has engaged with critics, but considers the data clear-cut.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • But the subsequent allegations have been less clear-cut, and Brown has instead maintained his innocence.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Bring a cozy blanket to watch Rumi, Mira and Zoey face off against the Saja Boys — and discover that good and bad aren’t always so clear-cut.
    — Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Long-term, the picture is not so clear-cut because people who choose diet soda often differ from those who drink regular soda in many ways, which makes observational research tricky to interpret.
    — Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Trump has also worked to significantly expand logging in national forests, prompting concern among conservationists that the move would enable timber companies to use disruptive practices such as clear-cutting or old-growth logging.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clear-cut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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