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
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
If someone is infected with multiple strains of the same type of fungus, this becomes much less clear-cut.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 9 July 2025
Democrats still bemoan Ralph Nader’s presence on ballots in 2000, although the analysis that the consumer-safety zealot cost Al Gore the presidency is less clear-cut than many of them think.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 7 July 2025
However, the 2026 class isn’t as clear-cut as Cooper Flagg’s 2025 class.
—Tobias Bass, New York Times, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clear-cut
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Adjective
In fact, they have now been linked to a potential trade for a clear-cut starting option.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
If someone is infected with multiple strains of the same type of fungus, this becomes much less clear-cut.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 9 July 2025
Democrats still bemoan Ralph Nader’s presence on ballots in 2000, although the analysis that the consumer-safety zealot cost Al Gore the presidency is less clear-cut than many of them think.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 7 July 2025
However, the 2026 class isn’t as clear-cut as Cooper Flagg’s 2025 class.
—Tobias Bass, New York Times, 7 July 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 18 Jul. 2025.
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