grey area
Britishnoun
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(in Britain) a region in which unemployment is relatively high
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an area or part of something existing between two extremes and having mixed characteristics of both
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an area, situation, etc, lacking clearly defined characteristics
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.
Unlike neighbouring China which has banned cryptocurrencies outright, communist Vietnam has allowed blockchain technology to develop in a legal grey area -- barring its use for payments but letting people speculate unimpeded.
From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026
Ethics and etiquette often exist in that grey area, and you will have to decide whether calls and letters from the company and, possibly, a collection notice is worth $180.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 7, 2026
"There's clearly a grey area here, whereby estate agents are able to accept one buyer that will use the in-house broker and turn everybody else away," she told us.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025
However, what determines "reasonable requirements" continues to be a grey area in need of an official ruling.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2025
In between those extremes is a grey area, where each new edition would have to be considered on a case-by-case basis.
From The Project Gutenberg FAQ 2002 by Tinsley, Jim
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.
