gray area

Idioms  

1. Indeterminate territory, undefined position, neither here nor there. For example, There's a large gray area between what is legal and what is not. This term, which uses gray in the sense of “neither black nor white” (or halfway between the two), dates only from the mid-1900s.

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Example Sentences

But unlike their colleagues in London and New York, the Budapest analysts work in a regulatory gray area.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Regular bikes are already banned from anything designated as a “trail,” according to a city ordinance, but a spokesperson for Lee said e-bikes were a gray area that his proposal aims to address.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

I’ve been hosting on Airbnb for a few years, and I’ve recently found myself in a bit of a gray area, morally speaking.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

That was a huge burden on our editors, especially since it was still a gray area.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

Rhonda and Charlotte walked into the gray area, and the sergeant told them to hold their arms straight out at their sides.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston