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
It is not a crime to film in public spaces but a lawyer specialising in image-based abuse said these types of videos fall into a legally "grey area" and could break harassment and voyeurism laws.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026
"I think it's a grey area," Lynagh said on Tuesday.
From BBC • Jul. 29, 2025
In another moment the grey area was golden with gaslight as the basement door was opened suddenly and a small and decorous housemaid stood in it.
From The Club of Queer Trades by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
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.
