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

See Examples For:

gray area

There’s also a gray area of intervention that some see as an extension of the parental advice and networking help that’s been happening for generations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

“The gauge is gone. The gray area is gone.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 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

“Now cheerleading, that’s a sport. A sport with dignity. You make it or you don’t. There’s no gray area, not like with volleyball.”

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia