How to Use clear-cut in a Sentence

clear-cut

adjective
  • Still, Paras told himself that the case was far from clear-cut.
    Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023
  • As for the food, the spicy queso sandwich is the clear-cut winner.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
  • This is the big question—and one that doesn’t have a clear-cut answer.
    Brian Underwood, Women's Health, 31 July 2023
  • The law on self-defense isn’t as clear-cut here as in other states.
    Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2023
  • This time around, the circumstances aren’t quite as clear-cut.
    Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2023
  • Partial and clear-cut forests are also great places to look.
    Gary Garth and Matt Every, Outdoor Life, 18 Apr. 2023
  • As far as whether to sell a home as a hip pocket, there is not a clear-cut answer.
    Ryan Conner, Dallas News, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Those all seem more serious and in some ways clear-cut than the Daniels matter.
    Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2023
  • France’s Victor Wembanyama is the clear-cut No. 1 pick and has been for some time.
    Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 17 May 2023
  • For folks who keep a kosher or halal diet, the issue is a bit less clear-cut.
    Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 30 June 2023
  • But like the subject of Over Vitebsk, which not everyone agrees on, the case isn’t so clear-cut.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 12 Feb. 2024
  • Just as with dine-in tips, Lynn does not have a clear-cut answer about an exact amount to tip for takeout.
    Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 6 Aug. 2023
  • The answer isn’t so clear-cut, recruiters tell Fortune.
    Byorianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2023
  • Just a little bit later, the story isn’t looking so clear-cut.
    Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
  • The crackdown on vendors who use free speech claims to skirt city rules is less clear-cut, officials said.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Oct. 2023
  • 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
  • Although this simple answer may be right most of the time, there may also be cases in which things are not quite so clear-cut.
    Matthew Fisher, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2018
  • But the lines between such videos and propaganda are not always clear-cut.
    Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
  • Unlike an expertly butchered piece of chicken or steak, the answer isn’t clear-cut.
    Sarah Garone, Health, 30 June 2023
  • For RedBird, the consequences of failing to build a stadium are less clear-cut.
    Paolo Confino, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024
  • But other times, one goaltender’s performance would surpass the other and call for a clear-cut starter.
    Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic, 13 Jan. 2024
  • By this standard, the case for cooperation with an India or a Poland is clear-cut.
    Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024
  • But if the swiftness of the decision seemed clear-cut and ringingly decisive, the verdict proved less so.
    Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2023
  • 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
  • More clear-cut was that seeing a chronological feed drove users to spend their time elsewhere online.
    WIRED, 27 July 2023
  • But the reality of executing this plan was far from clear-cut.
    Ann Roberts, Fortune, 16 May 2023
  • But the American obsession with this now-ubiquitous side is more clear-cut.
    Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
  • Williams’ feelings towards retirement have not been clear-cut.
    Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023
  • The design credentials are less clear-cut.
    New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2026
  • But for people living with a rare disease, the issue isn't so clear-cut.
    Brad Quick, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026

Some of 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.

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