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
Recent Examples on the WebChris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
And although a number of the Florida charges, involving obstruction and making false statements, seem clear-cut, thirty-two counts rely on the Espionage Act, a statute with gray areas that have never been fully adjudicated by the Supreme Court, even without a former President as the defendant.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 14 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 the American obsession with this now-ubiquitous side is more clear-cut.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
For RedBird, the consequences of failing to build a stadium are less clear-cut.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
As for the food, the spicy queso sandwich is the clear-cut winner.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
Just a little bit later, the story isn’t looking so clear-cut.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
And in cybersecurity, where the role of hackers and the defenders are clear-cut, red teaming has a substantial track record.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Mar. 2024
Adjective
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
And although a number of the Florida charges, involving obstruction and making false statements, seem clear-cut, thirty-two counts rely on the Espionage Act, a statute with gray areas that have never been fully adjudicated by the Supreme Court, even without a former President as the defendant.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 14 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 the American obsession with this now-ubiquitous side is more clear-cut.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
For RedBird, the consequences of failing to build a stadium are less clear-cut.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
As for the food, the spicy queso sandwich is the clear-cut winner.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
Just a little bit later, the story isn’t looking so clear-cut.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
And in cybersecurity, where the role of hackers and the defenders are clear-cut, red teaming has a substantial track record.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Mar. 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 27 Apr. 2024.
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