Clear-cut
adj.thoughtful, capableeveryday
What it means
Definite and free from confusing uncertainty.
Reach for it when describing evidence, choices, or results whose boundaries are easy to recognize
The recount produced a clear-cut result accepted by every observer.
Choose between these
6- playful
black-and-white
a deliberately binary contrast suits informal speech
not when The phrase can erase legitimate nuance and oversimplify human situations.
- playful
open-and-shut
evidence appears to settle a case immediately
not when This idiom is legalistic and overconfident before all evidence is reviewed.
- everyday
few complications make the matter easy to follow
not when A straightforward process can still end in an uncertain result.
- professional
the evidence or action settles the matter
not when Decisive may praise forceful action rather than clarity.
- professional
the conclusion has firm limits or certainty
not when Definite can reflect confidence without showing that the evidence is simple.
- formal
only one reasonable interpretation remains
not when Technical unambiguity leaves open whether the decision itself was easy.
Said against
3- ambiguous
- uncertain
- borderline
It naturally appears in
3- clear-cut result
The laboratory produced a clear-cut result on the contamination question.
- clear-cut choice
Once safety data arrived, the safer route became the clear-cut choice.
- clear-cut case
It looked like a clear-cut case until the missing receipt appeared.
Where this comes from
- merriam-webster, adjective sense 2 opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.