unclear

adjective, clear·er, clear·est.

1. free from darkness, obscurity, or cloudiness; light: a clear day.
2. transparent; pellucid: clear water.
3. without discoloration, defect, or blemish: a clear complexion; a clear pane of glass.
4. of a pure, even color: a clear yellow.
5. easily seen; sharply defined: a clear outline.
6. distinctly perceptible to the ear; easily heard: a clear sound.
7. free from hoarse, harsh, or rasping qualities: a clear voice; clear as a bell.
8. easily understood; without ambiguity: clear, concise answers.
9. entirely comprehensible; completely understood: The ultimate causes of inflation may never be clear.
10. distinct; evident; plain: a clear case of misbehavior.
11. free from confusion, uncertainty, or doubt: clear thinking.
12. perceiving or discerning distinctly: a clear mind.
13. convinced; certain: He was not clear on the first point that she made but agreed with the others.
14. free from anything that would disturb or blame: a clear conscience.
15. free from suspicion of guilt or complicity: She was entirely clear of the crime until one of her accomplices turned informer.
16. serene; calm; untroubled: a clear brow.
17. free from obstructions or obstacles; open: a clear view; a clear path.
18. free from entanglement or contact: He kept clear of her after the argument. She managed to keep her dress clear of the mud.
19. without limitation or qualification; absolute: a clear victory.
20. free from obligation, liability, or debt: After twenty years, our house is clear of the mortgage. Municipal bonds were returning as much as 9 percent, clear of taxes.
21. without deduction or diminution: a clear $1000 after taxes.
22. freed or emptied of contents, cargo, etc.
23. (of tree trunks or timber) free from branches, knots, or other protruding or rough parts: The trunk was clear for 20 feet above the ground.
24. Phonetics.
    1. (of an l-sound) having front-vowel resonance; situated before a vowel in the same syllable.Compare dark(def 16a).
    2. (of a speech sound) produced without frication or aspiration.
25. (in cryptography) not coded or enciphered.Compare plaintext.
26. bright; shining: a clear flame.
27. Obsolete. illustrious.

adverb, clear·er, clear·est.

28. in a clear or distinct manner; clearly.
29. so as not to be in contact with or near; away (often followed by of): Stand clear of the closing doors.
30. entirely; completely; clean: to cut a piece clear off; to climb clear to the top; to run clear off the road.

verb (used with object)

31. to remove people or objects from (usually followed by of): to clear a courtroom of photographers; to clear the table of dishes.
32. to remove (people or objects) (usually followed by from): to clear the photographers from the courtroom; to clear the dishes from the table.
33. to make clear, transparent, or pellucid; free from cloudiness or impurities: to clear a liquid by means of a filter.
34. to make free of confusion, doubt, or uncertainty: He spoke to his supervisor to clear his mind about their working relationship.
35. to make understandable or lucid; free from ambiguity or obscurity: She rephrased the report in order to clear the essential points.
36. to make (a path, road, etc.) by removing any obstruction: He had to cut away the underbrush to clear a path.
37. to eat all the food on: to clear one’s plate.
38. to relieve (the throat) of some obstruction, as phlegm, by forcing air through the larynx, usually producing a rasping sound.
39. to make a similar rasping noise in (the throat), as to express disapproval or to attract attention.
40. to remove from (the brow) any traces of tension or anxiety, as folds or wrinkles.
41. to free of anything defamatory or discrediting: to clear one’s name.
42. to free from suspicion, accusation, or imputation of guilt; prove or declare innocent: The jury cleared the defendant of the charge.
43. to remove instructions or data from (a computer, calculator, etc.).
44. to pass by or over without contact or entanglement: The ship cleared the reef. The fisherman cleared his line.
45. to pass through or away from: The ship cleared the harbor. The bill cleared the Senate.
46. to pass (checks or other commercial paper) through a clearinghouse.
47. (of mail, telephone calls, etc.) to process, handle, reroute, etc.: The dispatcher clears hundreds of items each day.
48. to free from debt: Just a few dollars more would clear him. The widow had to borrow money to clear her husband’s estate.
49. to gain as clear profit: to clear $1000 in a transaction.
50. to pay (a debt) in full.
51. to receive authorization before taking action on: You’ll have to clear your plan with headquarters.
52. to give clearance to; authorize: The chairperson has to clear our speeches before the meeting.
53. to authorize (a person, agency, etc.) to use classified information, documents, etc.: He has finally been cleared for highly classified information.
54. to remove trees, buildings, or other obstructions from (land), as for farming or construction.
55. to free (a ship, cargo, etc.) from legal detention at a port by satisfying customs and other requirements.
56. to try or otherwise dispose of (the cases awaiting court action): to clear the docket.
57. (of a commodity) to buy up or sell out the existing supply of.
58. Skin Diving. to drain or expel unwanted water in: to clear a snorkel by sharp exhalations; to clear a regulator and face mask while underwater.
59. Bridge. to establish one or more winning cards in (a given suit) by leading the suit until all the outstanding cards have been drawn: He cleared the heart suit before attacking spades.

verb (used without object)

60. to become clear.
61. to exchange checks and bills, and settle balances, as in a clearinghouse.
62. to become free from doubt, anxiety, misunderstanding, etc.: His mind cleared when he heard the truth.
63. to pass an authority for review, approval, etc.: The bill must clear through the assembly before it becomes legal.
64. to remove dishes, food, etc., from a table following a meal: Is it my turn to clear?
65. to remove previously inserted instructions or data from a computer, calculator, typewriter, or the like.
66. Nautical.
    1. to comply with customs and other requirements legally imposed on entering or leaving a port (often followed by in or out).
    2. to leave port after having complied with such requirements.
67. (of a commodity for sale) to sell out; become bought out: Wheat cleared rapidly.

noun

68. a clear or unobstructed space.
69. plaintext.
70. a piece of clear lumber.

Verb Phrases

71. clear away/off,
    1. to remove in order to make room.
    2. to leave; escape: We were warned to clear off before the floods came.
    3. to disappear; vanish: When the smoke cleared away, we saw that the house was in ruins.
72. clear out,
    1. to remove the contents of: Clear out the closet.
    2. to remove; take away: Clear out your clothes from the closet.
    3. to go away, especially quickly or abruptly.
    4. to drive or force out: The police cleared out the pickets by force.
73. clear up,
    1. to make clear; explain; solve.
    2. to put in order; tidy up.
    3. to become better or brighter, as the weather.

Idioms

74. in the clear,
    1. absolved of blame or guilt; free: He was suspected of the theft, but evidence put him in the clear.
    2. en clair.

adjective

1. not clear or definite; ambiguous

adjective

1. free from darkness or obscurity; bright
2. (of weather) free from dullness or clouds
3. transparentclear water
4. even and pure in tone or colourclear blue
5. without discoloration, blemish, or defecta clear skin
6. easy to see or hear; distinct
7. free from doubt or confusionhis instructions are not clear
8. (postpositive) certain in the mind; sureare you clear?
9. (in combination) perceptive, alertclear-headed
10. evident or obviousit is clear that he won’t come now
11. (of sounds or the voice) not harsh or hoarse
12. serene; calm
13. without qualification or limitation; completea clear victory
14. free of suspicion, guilt, or blamea clear conscience
15. free of obstruction; opena clear passage
16. free from debt or obligation
17. (of money, profits, etc) without deduction; net
18. emptied of freight or cargo
19. (of timber) having a smooth, unblemished surface
20. Also: in clear (of a message, etc) not in code
21. Also: light phonetics denoting an (l) in whose articulation the main part of the tongue is brought forward giving the sound of a front-vowel timbre
22. showjumping (of a round) ridden without any fences being knocked down or any points being lost

adverb

23. in a clear or distinct manner
24. completely or utterly
25. (postpositive often foll by of) not in contact (with); freestand clear of the gates

noun

26. a clear space
27. another word for clearance
28. in the clear
    1. free of suspicion, guilt, or blame
    2. sportable to receive a pass without being tackled

verb

29. to make or become free from darkness, obscurity, etc
30. (intr)
    1. (of the weather) to become free from dullness, fog, rain, etc
    2. (of mist, fog, etc) to disappear
31. (tr) to free from impurity or blemish
32. (tr) to free from doubt or confusionto clear one’s mind
33. (tr) to rid of objects, obstructions, etc
34. (tr) to make or form (a path, way, etc) by removing obstructions
35. (tr) to free or remove (a person or thing) from something, such as suspicion, blame, or guilt
36. (tr) to move or pass by or over without contact or involvementhe cleared the wall easily
37. (tr) to rid (the throat) of phlegm or obstruction
38. (tr) to make or gain (money) as profit
39. (tr often foll by off) to discharge or settle (a debt)
40. (tr) to free (a debtor) from obligation
41. (intr) (of a cheque) to pass through one’s bank and be charged against one’s account
42. banking to settle accounts by exchanging (commercial documents) in a clearing house
43. to permit (ships, aircraft, cargo, passengers, etc) to unload, disembark, depart, etc, after fulfilling the customs and other requirements, or (of ships, etc) to be permitted to unload, etc
44. to obtain or give (clearance)
45. (tr) to obtain clearance from
46. (tr) microscopy to make (specimens) transparent by immersion in a fluid such as xylene
47. (tr) to permit (a person, company, etc) to see or handle classified information
48. (tr) military
    1. to achieve transmission of (a signalled message) and acknowledgment of its receipt at its destination
    2. to decode (a message, etc)
49. (tr) sport to hit, kick, carry, or throw (the ball) out of the defence area
50. (tr) computing to remove data from a storage device and replace it with particular characters that usually indicate zero
51. (tr) NZ to remove (trees, scrub, etc) from land
52. clear the air See air (def. 11)
53. clear the decks to prepare for action, as by removing obstacles from a field of activity or combat

adj.c.1300, “not easy to understand,” from un- (1) “not” + clear (adj.). Cf. Middle Dutch onclaer, Dutch onklaar, German unklar, Old Norse uklarr, Danish uklar, Swedish oklar. Of persons, in sense of “uncertain, doubtful,” it is recorded from 1670s. Uncleared is recorded from 1630s in reference to debts, 1772 in reference to land. adj.late 13c., “bright,” from Old French cler “clear” (of sight and hearing), “light, bright, shining; sparse” (12c., Modern French clair), from Latin clarus “clear, loud,” of sounds; figuratively “manifest, plain, evident,” in transferred use, of sights, “bright, distinct;” also “illustrious, famous, glorious” (source of Italian chiaro, Spanish claro), from PIE *kle-ro-, from root *kele- (2) “to shout” (see claim (v.)). The sense evolution involves an identification of the spreading of sound and the spreading of light (cf. English loud, used of colors; German hell “clear, bright, shining,” of pitch, “distinct, ringing, high”). Of complexion, from c.1300; of the weather, from late 14c.; of meanings or explanations, “manifest to the mind, comprehensible,” c.1300. (An Old English word for this was sweotol “distinct, clear, evident.”) Sense of “free from encumbrance,” apparently nautical, developed c.1500. Phrase in the clear attested from 1715. Clear-sighted is from 1580s (clear-eyed is from 1529s); clear-headed is from 1709. v.late 14c., “to fill with light,” from clear (adj.). Of weather, from late 14c. Meaning “make clear in the mind” is mid-15c., as is sense of “to remove what clouds.” Meaning “to prove innocent” is from late 15c. Meaning “get rid of” is from 1530s. Meaning “to free from entanglement” is from 1590s; that of “pass without entanglement” is from 1630s. Meaning “to leap clear over” is first attested 1791. Meaning “get approval for” (a proposal, etc.) is from 1944; meaning “establish as suitable for national security work” is from 1948. Related: Cleared; clearing. To clear (one’s) throat is from 1881; earlier clear (one’s) voice (1701). To clear out “depart, leave” (1825), perhaps is from the notion of ships satisfying customs, harbor regulations, etc., then setting sail. To clear up is from 1620s, of weather; 1690s as “make clear to the mind.” Clear the decks is what is done on a ship before it moves. adv.“quite, entirely, wholly,” c.1300, from clear (adj.). In addition to the idioms beginning with clear

clear as a bell

clear as crystal

clear as mud

clear away

clear off

clear one’s name

clear out

clear the air

clear the decks

clear the table

clear up

clear with

also see:

coast is clear

free and clear

have a clear conscience

in the clear

loud and clear

out of a clear blue sky

see one’s way (clear)

steer clear of