1
: sharply outlined : distinct
2
: free from ambiguity or uncertainty : unambiguous
a clear-cut decision
: 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
Catherine Caufield
also
: clear-cutting
clear-cut; clear-cutting
: 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
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
Cathy Sears and Robert NeuwirthExamples 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
Zac Jackson, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Some responsibilities are clear-cut—one partner might naturally take charge of the household finances, while others develop over time, like handling the dishes or taking out the trash.
—Andrew Rosen, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
But as pro-meat figures such as Kennedy and Trump challenge those views—not to mention the institutions that support them—the problems with meat-eating no longer seem as clear-cut.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
Karl Marx dismissed God as a hoax, and Lenin and Stalin have added in clear-cut, unmistakable language their resolve that no nation, no people who believe in a God, can exist side by side with their communistic state.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clear-cut
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Adjective
Given that the Browns have gone through two waves of free agency without adding a clear-cut starting quarterback, there’s either a long-term plan or there were multiple misses along the way.
—Zac Jackson, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
Some responsibilities are clear-cut—one partner might naturally take charge of the household finances, while others develop over time, like handling the dishes or taking out the trash.
—Andrew Rosen, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
But as pro-meat figures such as Kennedy and Trump challenge those views—not to mention the institutions that support them—the problems with meat-eating no longer seem as clear-cut.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2025
Karl Marx dismissed God as a hoax, and Lenin and Stalin have added in clear-cut, unmistakable language their resolve that no nation, no people who believe in a God, can exist side by side with their communistic state.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clear-cut
Cite this Entry
“Clear-cut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clear-cut. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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