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
Guerrillas lay the groundwork to rewrite the rules Artists have long exploited that legal gray area around what's considered public land.
—
Emma Bowman, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025
Arcades like these often operate in a gray area of the law.
—Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2025
Until that gap is addressed, testosterone for women remains a gray area—legally permissible, but inconsistently regulated.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 Nov. 2025
Short-term rentals have long taken place in Nantucket, but a zoning change a decade ago put the practice in a legal gray area.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gray area
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Emma Bowman, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025
Arcades like these often operate in a gray area of the law.
—Miami Herald, 13 Nov. 2025
Until that gap is addressed, testosterone for women remains a gray area—legally permissible, but inconsistently regulated.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 Nov. 2025
Short-term rentals have long taken place in Nantucket, but a zoning change a decade ago put the practice in a legal gray area.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 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 1 Dec. 2025.
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