clear-cut

1 of 3

adjective

ˈklir-ˈkət 

1

: sharply outlined : distinct

2

: free from ambiguity or uncertainty : unambiguous

a clear-cut decision

clear-cut

2 of 3

noun

ˈklir-ˌkət 

: an area of forest in which all the trees have been cut down

But the logging has been concentrated in the high-volume old-growth forest, and clear-cuts are spread over almost every one of the region's watersheds.

—Catherine Caufield

also : clear-cutting

clear-cut

3 of 3

verb

ˈklir-ˌkət 

clear-cut; clear-cutting

transitive verb

: to cut down all the trees in (an area of forest)

He says there has been a massive deforestation as the Chinese have clear-cut millions of acres of Tibetan Forests to sell lumber on the export market …

—Daniel Goleman

… native rain forest experts who harvest plants for traditional healers, make from two to 10 times per hectare the income of a farmer who clear-cuts the forest for planting crops.

—Cathy Sears and Robert Neuwirth

Synonyms

Adjective

• apparent
• bald
• bald-faced
• barefaced
• bright-line
• broad
• clear
• crystal clear
• decided
• distinct
• evident
• lucid
• luculent
• luminous
• manifest
• nonambiguous
• obvious
• open-and-shut
• palpable
• patent
• pellucid
• perspicuous
• plain
• ringing
• straightforward
• transparent
• unambiguous
• unambivalent
• unequivocal
• unmistakable

Examples of clear-cut in a Sentence

Adjective

a clear-cut case of plagiarism that resulted in her immediate dismissal

clear-cut instructions that even an idiot should be able to follow

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Sherwood cleanly picked off MacKinnon’s pass, turned on the jets to turn it into a clear-cut breakaway and roofed a perfect shot in the top corner. —Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024

The global numbers fall within the margin of error to some extent, but the US numbers seem more clear-cut. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear-cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency. —Alanna Durkin Richer, arkansasonline.com, 26 Nov. 2024

But behind the scenes, the U.S. government’s support for the protesters was less clear-cut. —Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1958, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1914, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

clear-cut

adjective

ˈkli(ə)r-ˈkət

: free from doubt or uncertainty : definite

a clear-cut victory