gray area
noun
: an area or situation in which it is difficult to judge what is right and what is wrong
There are no gray areas in the rules.
a legal gray area
Examples of gray area in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Operating within a patchwork of policies without coordinated support, teachers and students nationwide are left to navigate the AI gray area on their own, increasing the risk of misuse, overreliance, and inequitable access to technology.
—
Sophia Romee, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
When did viral beauty become such a gray area?
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025
Here, while society remains sexist and some characters of each gender are more sympathetic than others, there’s a lot more gray area.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
And the exceptions can easily be exploited or broadened by the boots on the ground – the police tasked with following the policy – because there’s often this gray area in the language.
—Peter Mancina, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gray area
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sophia Romee, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025
When did viral beauty become such a gray area?
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025
Here, while society remains sexist and some characters of each gender are more sympathetic than others, there’s a lot more gray area.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
And the exceptions can easily be exploited or broadened by the boots on the ground – the police tasked with following the policy – because there’s often this gray area in the language.
—Peter Mancina, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gray area
Cite this Entry
“Gray area.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray%20area. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share