1
as in vague
not expressed in precise terms
their suggestion for correcting the problem is a bit unclear
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faint
not seen or understood clearly
obtained at best an unclear glimpse of the rarely seen bird from across the road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unclear
Officials did not offer details, and the circumstances of most of the deaths were unclear.
—
Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
The worst of the snowfall in and around New York City was winding down Monday, but the odds for a workable Tuesday morning commute remained unclear for Long Island and New Jersey straphangers, with NJ Transit’s rail service still suspended and LIRR set to resume a limited schedule.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
Others were tipped off by a spreadsheet circulating online among activists whose source is unclear.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
But the long-term effect on Mexico's security landscape remains unclear.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unclear
Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
The worst of the snowfall in and around New York City was winding down Monday, but the odds for a workable Tuesday morning commute remained unclear for Long Island and New Jersey straphangers, with NJ Transit’s rail service still suspended and LIRR set to resume a limited schedule.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
Others were tipped off by a spreadsheet circulating online among activists whose source is unclear.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
But the long-term effect on Mexico's security landscape remains unclear.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unclear
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unclear
Adjective
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Lewis previously shared a vague post on social media after Del Rio's firing was initially reported in October.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
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By contrast, Paramount offers only a vague promise to use tech from Papa Larry Ellison’s Oracle to reshape the creaky Paramount+ into something bigger and better.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Keep in mind that the 90-percent illuminated moon will also brighten the sky, making faint planets like Uranus harder to spot.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
23 Feb. 2026
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Telling stories, voicing the worst, questioning any and all who will understand and listen, who may have stories of their own to tell, is where the faintest glimmer of healing begins.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There was a short period, near the end of a messy, deeply ambiguous night of football at the Parc des Princes, that could have come directly from May 2025, plucked from the timeline and placed here, a little winter gift from the sporting gods.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
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However, because the Supreme Court ruling did not explicitly mandate whether the Treasury must pay back the collected tariff revenue, the path to recovering those funds remains legally ambiguous.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The laws around songs being used at political rallies are hazy and realistically the most a musician or songwriter can do is demand for the use to cease, although the user in question seems to be under little legal obligation to comply.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026
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That all of this is set around a rather hazy, cataclysmic time that gets relegated to the side lends it even more of a haunting power that grabs hold of you.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unclear.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unclear. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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