clear-cut

[ kleer-kuht for 1, 2; kleer-kuht for 3-5 ]
See synonyms for clear-cut on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. formed with or having clearly defined outlines: a face with clear-cut features.

  2. unambiguously clear; completely evident; definite: His sale of secrets was a clear-cut example of treachery.

  1. of or relating to a section of forest where all trees have been cut down for harvesting.

noun
  1. a section of forest where all trees have been cut down for harvesting.

verb (used with object),clear-cut, clear-cut·ting.
  1. to fell all the trees in (a section of forest) for harvesting.

Origin of clear-cut

1
First recorded in 1850–55
  • Also clear cut, clear·cut (for defs. 3-5) .

Other words for clear-cut

Other words from clear-cut

  • clear-cutness, noun

Words Nearby clear-cut

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use clear-cut in a sentence

  • The cropped grass shone clear as emerald, and all the garden showed clear-cut and solid and stable in its propriety and order.

    The Creators | May Sinclair
  • Honoria Pryse crossed the room in her quick, delicate way; her shrewd, clear-cut face was slightly flushed.

    The Rake's Progress | Marjorie Bowen
  • Many of the young dancers were remarkably pretty, all possessing the clear-cut features of their race.

    Michael Strogoff | Jules Verne
  • She was a very beautiful woman of about thirty, with a small head and a clear-cut grave face.

    The Romance of His Life | Mary Cholmondeley
  • Stephen was not a prig and she recognized the justice of his arguments, but he was rather hard and his views were too clear-cut.

    The Girl From Keller's | Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for clear-cut

clear-cut

adjective(clear cut when postpositive)
  1. definite; not vague: a clear-cut proposal

  2. clearly outlined

verb
  1. (tr) another term for clear-fell

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012