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.
Both have been in a grey area when it comes to regulation.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
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
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 Jim Tinsley
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.
