1 unclear | Definition of unclear

unclear

adjective
un·​clear | \ ˌən-ˈklir How to pronounce unclear (audio) \

Definition of unclear

: not clear: such as
a : difficult to understand an unclear explanation unclear instructions an unclear reference
b : confused or uncertain about something often used with about was a little unclear about how to proceed

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Other Words from unclear

unclearly adverb
speaking unclearly an unclearly remembered incident

Synonyms & Antonyms for unclear

Synonyms

fuzzy, indefinite, inexplicit, muzzy, vague

Antonyms

clear, definite, explicit, specific

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Examples of unclear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And like the fate of the supertanker and its crew, the outcome of the U.S.-Iran tensions remains unclear. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "What a multi-million dollar 'bribe' for oil supertanker says about Trump’s Iran policy," 8 Sep. 2019 The veteran’s presence at the festival remains unclear. Steven Zeitchik, Washington Post, "Toronto Film Festival: U.S. Army veteran, subject of immigration documentary, denied entry by Canada," 7 Sep. 2019 How quickly buyers will switch to electric cars, especially in the United States, remains unclear. Russ Mitchellstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Meet Taycan, Porsche’s first all-electric sports car and Tesla’s latest challenger," 4 Sep. 2019 While my mother was doing well, my father knew enough about her cancer and treatment to know that the downstream effects — what might happen eight or nine years after treatment — were unclear. Alyson Pomerantz, Longreads, "Anaphylaxis of the Mind," 3 Sep. 2019 Grady’s motive and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear. San Diego Union-Tribune, "Man sentenced to 21 years in prison for woman’s shooting death in Fairmount Village," 30 Aug. 2019 Rice and Vilain agree that the conclusion is unclear. Sara Reardon, Scientific American, "Massive Study Finds No Single Genetic Cause of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior," 29 Aug. 2019 How Bill and Melinda Gates feel about the rift is unclear. Martin Enserink, Science | AAAS, "Is setting a deadline for eradicating malaria a good idea? Scientists are divided," 27 Aug. 2019 But what those researchers are doing remains unclear. Mike Murphy, Quartz, "When is Apple going to release something more than a slightly nicer iPhone?," 21 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unclear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of unclear

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for unclear

unclear

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unclear

: difficult to understand
: confused or uncertain about something

unclear

adjective
un·​clear | \ ˌən-ˈklir\

Kids Definition of unclear

: difficult to understand or make sense of Your directions are unclear.

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More from Merriam-Webster on unclear

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for unclear

Spanish Central: Translation of unclear

Nglish: Translation of unclear for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of unclear for Arabic Speakers