as in obvious
not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation
an open-and-shut case of robbery
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Recent Examples of open-and-shut
Her payments were spotty, the lawyer said, but overall, the case had been open-and-shut.
—
Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
For what’s been characterized as an open-and-shut case, there are still a lot of questions about the slayings of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Lamar Jackson makes that an open-and-shut case.
—Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 6 Jan. 2026
As the years wore on, police and prosecutors released no updates to the public on why a case presented as open-and-shut was taking so long to reach a jury.
—Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 24 Dec. 2025
The killings initially appeared to be an open-and-shut case of murder-suicide, at the hands of Jeremy’s sister, Sheila.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Especially after Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey, asked Tuesday afternoon to define Melvin’s status, declined to provide an open-and-shut answer.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
From the outset, this seemed like an open-and-shut case.
—Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Pricing and Value So far, it's been an open-and-shut case for Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, right?
—PC Magazine, 22 June 2025
Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
For what’s been characterized as an open-and-shut case, there are still a lot of questions about the slayings of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
Lamar Jackson makes that an open-and-shut case.
—Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 6 Jan. 2026
As the years wore on, police and prosecutors released no updates to the public on why a case presented as open-and-shut was taking so long to reach a jury.
—Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 24 Dec. 2025
The killings initially appeared to be an open-and-shut case of murder-suicide, at the hands of Jeremy’s sister, Sheila.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
Especially after Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey, asked Tuesday afternoon to define Melvin’s status, declined to provide an open-and-shut answer.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
From the outset, this seemed like an open-and-shut case.
—Gemma Allen, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Pricing and Value So far, it's been an open-and-shut case for Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, right?
—PC Magazine, 22 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for open-and-shut
Adjective
-
Make kind choices and keep boundaries obvious.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Apr. 2026
-
That said, the presence of companies concerned with defense, security, and sensitive radar systems among the apparent ultimate targets raises obvious red flags.—
Jessica Klein,
PC Magazine,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That said, the presence of companies concerned with defense, security, and sensitive radar systems among the apparent ultimate targets raises obvious red flags.—
Jessica Klein,
PC Magazine,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The following year, Salling died at age 35 of an apparent suicide.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For Shaina Wilkins, justice is straightforward.—
Ash-har Quraishi,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
This straightforward set-up lays the groundwork for a moving, and often anxiety-inducing, investigation of language, empathy, and miscommunication.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
So the movement upward here is unmistakable.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Now, as temperatures rise, so too does the unmistakable presence of Eau Splendide.—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This season was too miserable, and this club was too far below any reasonable standard to deny the long-evident reality that a full, disciplined rebuild is now an absolute necessity.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
In their video announcing the show’s ending, Hadel and Cusack emphasized that these episodes are not a proper finale of any sort, and that’s very evident from watching them.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But there seems to be a clear increase in the number of ticks out there.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Share a clear plan, and invite real input.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My own life does not feel like one continuous thing but, rather, two distinct halves that belong to two very different people.—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
With his wife, Anne, James nurtured a 40-acre ranch in Wynola, near Julian, that housed his art studio as well as visually distinct buildings that have come to be associated with James’ organic approach to architectural design.—
Michael James Rocha,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Open-and-shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/open-and-shut. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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