unclearun‧clear /ˌʌnˈklɪə◂ $ -ˈklɪr◂/ ●●○ adjective 
The terms of the contract are very unclear.2be unclear about something to not understand something clearly: I’m rather unclear about what I’m supposed to be doing here.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The causes of the disease are unclear.
- But it is unclear whether such success has limits.
- For the moment, Forbes' political prospects are unclear.
- It is unclear the extent to which the 12 need form a cohesive group.
- The relationship between structure, process and outcome is very unclear.
- There is no doubt that Cnut disposed of this threat, but where Holy River fits in is unclear.
Longman Language Activatornot easy to see clearly
· I'll try and read this, but the handwriting's pretty unclear.· The photos were not very clear.
a picture, shape, image etc that is faint is unclear because it is a long way away, there is not enough light, or it was very lightly drawn: · There were a few faint pencil lines on the page.faint outline: · On the wall you could see the faint outline of where a picture had once hung.
unclear so that only the general shape can be seen, and not small details: · Without my glasses, anything more than a few feet away looks blurred.· All I have to remind me of Albert are a few letters and a blurred photo.
a photograph, television picture etc that is fuzzy is not clear, and it is difficult to see separate edges and objects, often because there is something wrong with your equipment or with the way the pictures were taken: · Police have only a fuzzy videotape of the bank robbery.· a fuzzy snapshot
a view that is hazy is not clear because there is a slight mist caused by heat, smoke etc: · The view to the west was hazy.hazy with: · The room was hazy with smoke.
when it is not clear what is happening or why something happens · It is not clear why the disease affects some people and not others.· The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear.
a situation that is confused is difficult to understand because a lot of things are happening at the same time and you do not have enough information about it: · Newspaper reports give a rather confused picture of the state of the economy.· US policy towards China has always seemed mixed and confused.· The situation in the city centre is getting increasingly confused, and riot police have been told to stand by.
not clear · It is unclear how the man died.· The instructions aren't very clear.· The terms of our tenancy agreement are somewhat unclear.· The reasons for his resignation are still not clear.unclear/not clear about · His ideas are good, but he's very unclear about how he's going to achieve them.unclear/not clear whether/what/why etc · It's not clear why Parks didn't go straight to the police.· It is unclear whether the she will agree to the new arrangements.
having more than one possible meaning and therefore confusing and unclear: · The document's ambiguous wording makes it very difficult to follow.deliberately ambiguous (=intended to be difficult to understand): · The last part of her letter was deliberately ambiguous.
words or statements that are imprecise are unclear because they do not describe or explain something in an exact way when this is necessary: · Many of the terms used in this book are imprecise.· She gave me directions to the hotel, but they were, shall we say, somewhat imprecise.
unclear, especially because not enough details are given: · There have been vague rumours of a coup.vague idea: · I only had a vague idea of where the place was.vague about: · He was rather vague about the reasons why he never finished school.
a confusing situation, story, explanation, etc is difficult to understand because there does not seem to be any clear pattern or order to it: · The kidnappers issued a series of confusing demands.· I found the book really confusing. I kept forgetting who the characters were.· Cricket can be a pretty confusing game for non-players.
if something that someone tells you is muddled or garbled , it is very unclear and confusing because they themselves have not really understood it very well: · I heard a garbled version of the story from one of my students.· Conroy made some muddled statement about how company policy has to be observed in these situations.· The old woman's directions were so garbled that I just rolled up the window and drove on.
unintelligible speech or writing is impossible to understand, for example because the words are not clear or it is written very badly: · Her note was practically unintelligible.· I liked the music but the lyrics were completely unintelligible.
something that you cannot be certain about something that is uncertain , has not been definitely shown or decided: · The cause of the accident is uncertain.· Exactly how and when these plant species came to the Great Plains is not certain.it is uncertain whether/if: · It is still uncertain whether the conference will actually take place.it is uncertain how/why/when/that: · It's uncertain when the trial will begin.· It is not at all certain that Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover America.
a situation that is unclear , is one that people do not know enough or understand enough to be sure about it: · The causes of the dispute are not entirely clear.· At this hour, the fate of the passengers and crew is still unclear.it is unclear how/why/whether etc: · It isn't clear how the fire started.· It's not yet clear whether the disease is caused by a virus.· It was unclear when the two sides would meet again to discuss the budget.it is not clear that: · It's not clear that the problems with the new computer system have been worked out.
informal use this about something that is uncertain because a decision has not yet been made: · I might be going on a training course next week, but it's still up in the air.· They still haven't said if I've got the job -- it's all up in the air at the moment.
use this to say that people do not feel certain about what has happened or will happen, and are worried about it - used especially in newspapers and public speeches: · The Principal said there was uncertainty about the candidate's qualifications.· There is some uncertainty over where the refugees are going to be housed.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Many scientists remain unconvinced by the current evidence.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
Many scientists remain unconvinced by the current evidence.· The general situation with regard to such counter-indemnities granted by businessmen was also unclear.· It was also unclear whether any immediate members of his family or top lieutenants in his drug gang were among those arrested.· A nation unsure of its standing in the world was also unclear in its internal lines of direction and command structure.
· The precise means whereby these contacts and cross-currents were established in individual cases are often unclear.· The distinction between those done for commercial and those done for investment purposes is complex and often unclear.· The bases of statistics are often unclear or unsatisfactory, and comparability is often impossible.· Interactionists argue that roles are often unclear, ambiguous and vague.· In particular the meaning of a term or link in the semantic net was often unclear to them.· Though parents are usually eager to help they are often unclear of what is required of them.
· At the end of December, the time limit was still unclear.· The impact of some of these differences is still unclear.· Whether these problems are temporary or not is still unclear.· The cause of the accident was still unclear Tuesday night.· It is still unclear whether acid-base transport systems are involved in regulating proliferation.· How far the proposals will get with the Republicans, however, is still unclear.· The pathogenesis of Dieulafoy's disease is still unclear.· The link between the abuse and the symptoms is still unclear.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- If not, those involved will be unclear about what is expected and monitoring and control will be ineffective.
- In those days we still were unclear about how the work would develop and whether we would move towards independence or not.
- Many young people - I am in no way blaming them - are unclear about their personal plans.
- Most of the applicants I interview either do not know about it or are unclear about the details.
- Most workers were unclear about what their marginal tax rates were, and consequently did not have any very clearly calculated response.
WORD FAMILYnounclarityclearanceclearingclarificationclearnessverbclearclarifyadverbclearclearlyadjectiveclear ≠ unclear
1difficult to understand or be sure about, so that there is doubt or confusion: The terms of the contract are very unclear.2be unclear about something to not understand something clearly: I’m rather unclear about what I’m supposed to be doing here.