unclear
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
When something's unclear it's hard to see or understand. If the directions for assembling your new desk are unclear, you might end up with two upside-down drawers and a handful of unused nuts and bolts. If you don't explain something accurately, it will be unclear to the person who's trying to understand. And when a photograph is badly out of focus, it's also unclear — you can't quite see the details. You can also use this adjective for the feeling that results in these situations: "I'm unclear about exactly who's in this photo and why you wanted me to see it."
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.
Last week, the Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to get the Stormont government functioning properly with a budget, but it is unclear how much money London could provide.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Perhaps, for reasons unclear even to me, I would become very interested in rural schools.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
It is unclear whether the payment reflected in the invoices viewed by the Journal was ultimately made.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Researchers have become increasingly interested in food-derived bioactive compounds that may influence this pathway, but exactly how these substances affect PPARδ has remained unclear.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026
The origins of ironworking in sub-Saharan Africa soon after 1000 B.C. are still unclear.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
