unclear

The word “unclear” means not obvious or easy to understand; ambiguous. In plain terms, not clearly understood, seen, or decided — leaves you uncertain.

“Unclear” is pronounced uhn-KLEER (/ʌnˈklɪɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “unclear” used in a sentence: “It's unclear who will take over the project.”

“Unclear” is an adjective.

The word “unclear” comes from Middle English. From Middle English unclere, from un- + clear.

“Unclear” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Unclear” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: not obvious or easy to understand; ambiguous.

'Unclear' broadly means hard to understand or hard to see. 'Ambiguous' is more specific: it means open to more than one interpretation, so something ambiguous is unclear precisely because it could carry two or more meanings.

'Unclear' means not easy to understand or make out. 'Vague' means lacking exact detail or definition, so a vague statement is unclear because it is imprecise, whereas something can be unclear for other reasons, such as being poorly worded or hard to see.

Yes. 'It is unclear whether…' is a standard, slightly formal construction used when something cannot be determined, as in 'It is unclear whether the flight will be delayed.' You can also use 'unclear if', 'unclear how', or 'unclear why'.

'Unclear' normally describes things such as instructions, writing, images, or situations rather than people directly. To describe a person, say they were 'unclear about' something, meaning they did not express it clearly or were themselves uncertain.