clear-cut
Americanadjective
-
formed with or having clearly defined outlines.
a face with clear-cut features.
-
unambiguously clear; completely evident; definite.
His sale of secrets was a clear-cut example of treachery.
-
of or relating to a section of forest where all trees have been cut down for harvesting.
noun
verb (used with object)
adjective
-
definite; not vague
a clear-cut proposal
-
clearly outlined
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of clear-cut
First recorded in 1850–55
Vocabulary lists containing clear-cut
Obvious
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Obvious
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
The clear-cut way to get a raise is to land a new job.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“The cases we finally choose to expose are the absolute worst of the worst—the ones with egregious, clear-cut misconduct,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The US leader's influence could be less clear-cut this time around, however.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
That refusal to cast anyone as a clear-cut villain is something critics have highlighted in their reviews.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Her features were clear-cut enough to justify the poems written to her in London and even here in Boston, comparing her to a classic goddess.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
“All across California cities are getting push back from concerned citizens who refuse to accept clear-cutting their urban forest,” Hall said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2024
During the helicopter flight, we could see clear-cutting occurring within a couple of miles of the site that we were surveying and in roughly similar terrain.
From Salon ● Nov. 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
"Unleashing forest companies to build hundreds of kilometers more road to do more clear-cutting results in a worse situation, not a better one," Foy said.
From Reuters ● Jun. 12, 2023
The very terror of this clear-cutting sword-sweep, dividing us, bone from bone, may, nay! probably will, send us back to our gentle "lovers of humanity" who, "knowing everything pardon everything."
From Visions and Revisions A Book of Literary Devotions by Powys, John Cowper
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.
