clean-cut
Americanadjective
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having distinct, regular shape.
a face with clean-cut features.
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clearly outlined.
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neat and wholesome.
a polite, clean-cut young man.
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unambiguously clear; unmistakable; clear-cut.
The case against him is a clean-cut one.
adjective
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clearly outlined; neat
clean-cut lines of a ship
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definite
a clean-cut decision in boxing
Etymology
Origin of clean-cut
First recorded in 1835–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Clean-cut and baby-faced at the time, he contributed harmonies that were a key part of the band’s innovative blend of The Beatles and Dylan.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2023
Clean-cut, Ivy League–educated, and a supremely successful superintendent, Tassone was beloved by the Roslyn community.
From Slate • Apr. 25, 2020
Clean-cut and soft-spoken figures such as Bradley Beal and Otto Porter have morphed into snarling, flexing and trash-talking players who draw energy from boos on the road.
From Washington Times • Apr. 22, 2015
Clean-cut and favoring a coat and tie these days, he described himself as a ragged “hippie” during his time in Europe.
From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2010
Clean-cut veteran horsemanship, with horse and rider as one; a mechanically precise pace, heart-breaking for a following field.
From Garrison's Finish : a romance of the race course by Ferguson, W. B. M. (William Blair Morton)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
