Unclear Meaning
/ʌnˈklɪə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjAmbiguous; liable to more than one interpretation.
adjNot clearly or explicitly defined.
Sentence Examples
Their scope and shape is unclear.
What he said is still unclear to me.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The instructions were ____, so many people made mistakes when building the shelf.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is still ____ why the machine stopped working, so the technicians are conducting a very thorough investigation today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English unclere, equivalent to un- + clear. Compare Saterland Frisian uunkloor (“unclear”), West Frisian ûnklear (“inoperative, broken”), Dutch onklaar (“out of order, defective, broken”), German unklar (“unclear”), Danish uklar (“unclear”), Swedish oklar (“unclear”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Clearing, unclearing and deleting activities"
— 1998, Jeffrey J. Mayer, ACT! 4 for Windows for Dummies, page xx:
"[…] finally [the block] would be cleared and remain that way until moved. Although this clearing and unclearing can occur repeatedly, the current BAGGER algorithm is unable to generalize number within unwindable subproofs."
— 2012, Gerald DeJong, Investigating Explanation-Based Learning, page 108:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The instructions were ____, so many people made mistakes when building the shelf.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is still ____ why the machine stopped working, so the technicians are conducting a very thorough investigation today.