clear-cut

American  

[kleer-kuht, kleer-kuht] / ˈklɪərˈkʌt, ˈklɪərˌkʌt /

Also clear cut,

adjective

1. formed with or having clearly defined outlines.

   a face with clear-cut features.

   Synonyms:

   definite, positive, precise, crisp, chiseled

2. unambiguously clear; completely evident; definite.

   His sale of secrets was a clear-cut example of treachery.

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

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noun

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

verb (used with object)

clear-cut, clear-cutting

1. to fell all the trees in (a section of forest) for harvesting.

clear-cut British  

adjective

1. definite; not vague

   a clear-cut proposal

2. clearly outlined

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verb

1. (tr) another term for clear-fell

Other Word Forms

• clear-cutness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of clear-cut

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clear-cut clear-cutting

The clear-cut way to get a raise is to land a new job.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

John Mozeliak is in Anaheim for one clear-cut reason: to set the foundation for the Angels to get back on track.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

While there is no clear-cut way to determine conclusively whether a stock is the most overbought stock in history, here’s what the numbers suggest about Sandisk.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

"Creating 'deadbots' of Russian soldiers or deepfakes of fallen Russian soldiers returning from Ukraine is extremely complex and ethically difficult to assess in a clear-cut way," she says.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

We are at a loss to understand them and we wish they’d give us a few simple, clear-cut rules to go by.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

California, biomass energy advocates say, has struggled to get past its distrust of the technology, given traditional biomass’ checkered past of clear-cutting forests and polluting poorer communities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025

Bottom trawling is a fishing method that’s extremely destructive to sensitive habitat types; it’s been compared to clear-cutting forests to catch rabbits.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2024

“Trees and new housing can coexist, but this should not be accomplished by clear-cutting our urban forest,” she wrote.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024

And most ecologists regard degradation as the consequence of the type of large scale clear-cutting that is nearly the universal method of logging in Canada.

From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2024

And being a very clear-cutting personality with an instinct for the material rendering of things, she also came and sat beside him on the little square-cornered sofa.

From The Research Magnificent by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

Related Words

• categorical
• definitive
• explicit
• obvious
• precise
• pronounced
• specific
• straightforward
• unambiguous
• unequivocal
• well-defined