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
But without school policies explicitly allowing it, the students’ ability to bring naloxone to class falls into a gray area.
—
Rae Ellen Bichell, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024
In Maui County, tiny homes fall into a legal gray area, housing advocates said.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
As our Constitution and Supreme Court currently stand, both protections and restrictions sit in a gray area on the federal level.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024
The team’s identity crisis is borne of Green’s many suspensions, Andrew Wiggins’ decline and a gray area in which younger players are called on to step up more than expected.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024
The absence of federal legalization leaves Colorado’s cannabis industry operating in an amorphous gray area, said Ricardo Baca, a longtime legal marijuana proponent and former Denver Post reporter who helped launch The Cannabist website in 2013.
—John Aguilar, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2024
The symbol is on a gray background, symbolizing the gray area between those two genders.13
Equity vs. Equality: What's the Difference?
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 13 Dec. 2023
In South Korea, tattoos exist in a legal gray area — meaning K-Pop idols often avoid the social stigma by using bandages or makeup to hide any for broadcast performances.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
Her vulnerability goes beyond being perceived as weak or soft, and into a gray area of actions considered unpopular in the name of humanity and survival — even if that means helping or opening up to someone who may be viewed as an adversary.
—Alicia Ramírez, NBC News, 18 Jan. 2024
Rae Ellen Bichell, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024
In Maui County, tiny homes fall into a legal gray area, housing advocates said.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
As our Constitution and Supreme Court currently stand, both protections and restrictions sit in a gray area on the federal level.
—The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024
The team’s identity crisis is borne of Green’s many suspensions, Andrew Wiggins’ decline and a gray area in which younger players are called on to step up more than expected.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024
The absence of federal legalization leaves Colorado’s cannabis industry operating in an amorphous gray area, said Ricardo Baca, a longtime legal marijuana proponent and former Denver Post reporter who helped launch The Cannabist website in 2013.
—John Aguilar, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2024
The symbol is on a gray background, symbolizing the gray area between those two genders.13
Equity vs. Equality: What's the Difference?
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 13 Dec. 2023
In South Korea, tattoos exist in a legal gray area — meaning K-Pop idols often avoid the social stigma by using bandages or makeup to hide any for broadcast performances.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
Her vulnerability goes beyond being perceived as weak or soft, and into a gray area of actions considered unpopular in the name of humanity and survival — even if that means helping or opening up to someone who may be viewed as an adversary.
—Alicia Ramírez, NBC News, 18 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gray area.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Gray area.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray%20area. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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