1
: sharply outlined : distinct
2
: free from ambiguity or uncertainty : unambiguous
a clear-cut decision
: an area of forest in which all the trees have been cut down
But the logging has been concentrated in the high-volume old-growth forest, and clear-cuts are spread over almost every one of the region's watersheds.—
Catherine Caufield
Catherine Caufield
also
: clear-cutting
clear-cut; clear-cutting
: to cut down all the trees in (an area of forest)
He says there has been a massive deforestation as the Chinese have clear-cut millions of acres of Tibetan Forests to sell lumber on the export market …—Daniel Goleman
Daniel Goleman… native rain forest experts who harvest plants for traditional healers, make from two to 10 times per hectare the income of a farmer who clear-cuts the forest for planting crops.—Cathy Sears and Robert Neuwirth
Cathy Sears and Robert NeuwirthSynonyms
Adjective
Examples of clear-cut in a Sentence
Adjective
a clear-cut case of plagiarism that resulted in her immediate dismissal
clear-cut instructions that even an idiot should be able to follow
Recent Examples on the WebJenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Not all reasons for cutting off a family member are as clear-cut because family relationships can be complex.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 20 May 2024
And there is virtually no way to prove whether any GM is engaging in service-time manipulation, and this case isn’t clear-cut the way others have been in the past.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2024
The Atlanta Hawks won the NBA draft lottery on Sunday, landing the No. 1 pick and a potential cornerstone player in a year where there’s no clear-cut choice.
—Andrew Seligman, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2024
In such cases, treatments may not be as clear-cut as simply reducing or removing a particular stimulus.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 8 May 2024
That off-the-cuff duet in 2014 opened their eyes to a world of musical possibilities, but their path forward wasn’t easy or clear-cut.
—Natalie Weiner, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
But the museum’s concerns weren’t always so clear-cut.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
And a lot of the private timber lands in America had been clear-cut already, and those national forests were the site of all of this industrial logging.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
Adjective
For Ari Huffman, the case for divesting from Israel is clear-cut — at least morally.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Not all reasons for cutting off a family member are as clear-cut because family relationships can be complex.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 20 May 2024
And there is virtually no way to prove whether any GM is engaging in service-time manipulation, and this case isn’t clear-cut the way others have been in the past.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2024
The Atlanta Hawks won the NBA draft lottery on Sunday, landing the No. 1 pick and a potential cornerstone player in a year where there’s no clear-cut choice.
—Andrew Seligman, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2024
In such cases, treatments may not be as clear-cut as simply reducing or removing a particular stimulus.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 8 May 2024
That off-the-cuff duet in 2014 opened their eyes to a world of musical possibilities, but their path forward wasn’t easy or clear-cut.
—Natalie Weiner, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
But the museum’s concerns weren’t always so clear-cut.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
And a lot of the private timber lands in America had been clear-cut already, and those national forests were the site of all of this industrial logging.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near clear-cut
Cite this Entry
“Clear-cut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clear-cut. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.
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