crystal-clear

[kris-tl-kleer]

adjective

1. absolutely clear; transparent; lucid.

Word History and Origins

Origin of crystal-clear¹

First recorded in 1510–20

When To Use

What does crystal-clear mean?

Crystal-clear literally means completely clear—often meaning you can see right through it.Crystal is a type of mineral or glass that’s clear—it resembles ice. When crystal-clear is used in this way, it often describes things like perfectly clear water.But it can also describe things that have perfect clarity—a TV might be said to have a crystal-clear picture, for example. Even things that aren’t visual might be said to be crystal-clear in this way, as in These headphones provide crystal-clear sound.Crystal-clear can also be used figuratively to mean extremely easy to understand—meaning there’s nothing at all confusing about it. This sense of the word is often used to describe things like instructions or a piece of writing.Crystal-clear can be used with or without a hyphen. It’s often used with a hyphen when it comes before the thing it describes, as in crystal-clear glass, and without a hyphen when it follows the thing it describes, as in the glass was crystal clear. The phrase clear as crystal means the same thing as both senses of crystal-clear. A close synonym for both senses of the word is transparent.Example: These crystal-clear cleaning instructions will give you crystal-clear windows in no time!