unclear
Britishadjective
Other Word Forms
Explanation
When something's unclear it's hard to see or understand. If the directions for assembling your new desk are unclear, you might end up with two upside-down drawers and a handful of unused nuts and bolts. If you don't explain something accurately, it will be unclear to the person who's trying to understand. And when a photograph is badly out of focus, it's also unclear — you can't quite see the details. You can also use this adjective for the feeling that results in these situations: "I'm unclear about exactly who's in this photo and why you wanted me to see it."
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.
But it remained unclear throughout Trump's stay in Evian when the formal signing would take place.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
It’s unclear whether the “big guy” refers to a member of the royal family and what Kahlon meant by “a bail out.”
From Salon • Jun. 19, 2026
It's unclear whether Rockstar has been working on the sixth instalment for all of that time, however, as in 2018 it also released another huge sequel - Red Dead Redemption 2.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
It is also unclear whether any decline in energy prices would be large enough to materially reduce inflation pressures, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
And there are rules about religion, too, but they are even more unclear.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
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.
