Clear-cut

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.

• 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

  straightforward

  few complications make the matter easy to follow

  not when A straightforward process can still end in an uncertain result.

• professional

  decisive

  the evidence or action settles the matter

  not when Decisive may praise forceful action rather than clarity.

• professional

  definite

  the conclusion has firm limits or certainty

  not when Definite can reflect confidence without showing that the evidence is simple.

• formal

  unambiguous

  only one reasonable interpretation remains

  not when Technical unambiguity leaves open whether the decision itself was easy.

• ambiguous
• uncertain
• borderline

• 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.