unclearadj.

Brit.

/(ˌ)ʌnˈklɪə/,

/(ˌ)ʌŋˈklɪə/, U.S.

/ˌənˈklɪ(ə)r/

Forms: see un- prefix¹ and clear adj., adv., and n.

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: un- prefix¹, clear adj.

Etymology: < un- prefix¹ + clear adj.Compare Middle Dutch onclaer, oncleer (Dutch onklaar), Middle Low German unklār, German unklar (16th cent.), Old Icelandic úklárr (Icelandic óklár), Old Swedish oklar (Swedish oklar).

†1. Not clear of or free from fault or blame; guilty, sinful; (also) corrupt. Cf. clear adj. 15. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > guilt > [adjective] > not cleared

unclearc1390

unpurged1508

unreprievable1593

unjustified1640

unexcusedc1650

uncleared1659

society > morality > moral evil > guilt > [adjective] > not free from guilt

unclearc1390

c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 306 (MED) Nou schal þi concience be knowen, þat euer was vnclere.

c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 12 Þai are þe lanternys of lyf..Bot þai be caȝt with couetyse, with conscians vnclere.

c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine (Arun. 396) (1893) v. l. 1207 Fro al onclennesse Of lust and filthe, and fro that loue on-clere Whiche þei calle letcherie.

1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. ii. sig. D4^v I haue great sins, I must haue daies..To lift 'em out, and not to die vncleere.

1639 G. Daniel Ecclus. xvii. 80 Those Horrid Crimes of Mortalls Shall appeare Vgly and Monstrous, vile, deform'd, vncleare.

1722 J. Willison Five Serm. v. 120 Death..is near, and I am most unready for it. Judgment is approaching, my Compts are unclear.

a1762 M. Somervel Condescension, Love, & Faithfulness of God (1789) vii. 30 I cannot think to live any longer in an unclear state, and far less to die in it.

a. Not easy to understand; not obvious or intelligible.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > depth, obscurity > [adjective]

higheOE

dighela1000

deepc1000

darkOE

starkOE

dusk?c1225

subtle1340

dimc1350

subtilea1393

covert1393

mystica1398

murka1400

cloudyc1400

hard?c1400

mistyc1400

unclearc1400

diffuse1430

abstractc1450

diffused?1456

exquisitec1460

obnubilous?a1475

obscure?a1475

covered1484

intricate?a1500

nice?a1500

perplexeda1500

difficilea1513

difficult1530

privy1532

smoky1533

secret1535

abstruse?1549

difficul1552

entangled1561

confounded1572

darksome1574

obnubilate1575

enigmatical1576

confuse1577

mysteriousa1586

Delphic1598

obfuscatea1600

enfumed1601

Delphicala1603

obstruse1604

abstracted1605

confused1611

questionable1611

inevident1614

recondite1619

cryptic1620

obfuscated1620

transcendent1624

Delphian1625

oraculous1625

enigmatic1628

recluse1629

abdite1635

undilucidated1635

clouded1641

benighted1647

oblite1650

researched1653

obnubilated1658

obscurative1664

tenebrose1677

hyperbyssal1691

condite1695

diffusive1709

profound1710

tenebricose1730

oracular1749

opaque1761

unenlightening1768

darkling1795

offuscating1798

unrecognizable1817

tough1820

abstrusive1848

obscurant1878

out-of-focus1891

unplumbable1895

inenubilable1903

non-transparent1939

society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > obscurity > [adjective]

darkOE

murka1400

cloudyc1400

mistyc1400

unclearc1400

obturate?a1425

obscure?a1439

unplain?c1535

obumbilatec1540

abstruse?1549

darksome1574

mysteriousa1586

obstruse1604

muddy1611

unperspicuous1634

clouded1641

imperspicuous1654

cramp1674

unlucid1711

abstract1725

opaque1761

obumbratory1799

darkling1813

sludgy1901

c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 307 I calde, and þou knew myn vn-cler steuen.

a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. Prol. f. ii Ryght mysty storyes doughtfull and vnclere.

1591 (?a1425) Trial & Flagellation (Huntington) in R. M. Lumiansky & D. Mill Chester Myst. Cycle (1974) I. 297 But my might in this manere will I not prove,..my cause uncleare were then, in good faye.

1611 C. Tourneur Atheist's Trag. (new ed.) iv. sig. I3^v The time; the place; All circumstances argue that vncleare.

1678 G. Mackenzie Laws & Customes Scotl. ii. 553 It were very hard upon testimonies, that have so unclear a causa scientiæ.., to take away a mans life.

1748 Thoughts on Constit. 16 Were their own Laws on this Head defective, or unclear, as I think they are not.

1798 Monthly Mag. 6 99 The mythological allusions in the 10th, 11th and 12th verses are unclear.

1828 E. B. Pusey Hist. Enq. Rationalist Char. I. i. p. xiv To fix the stamp of misconception upon every thing else which is unclear in the work.

1884 Law Times Rep. 50 297/2 That these otherwise clear and plain words are made doubtful and unclear by the 3rd clause of this section.

1957 S. J. Perelman Road to Miltown 215 Why she doesn't strangle the brat then and there is unclear.

2013 Daily Tel. 27 Sept. 29/2 The circumstances of his death are unclear.

b. Lacking clarity of perception, understanding, or expression; confused, muddled.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > [adjective]

yblenta1225

amazed?c1225

wory?c1225

mingedc1275

willc1300

distracta1340

confounded1362

confuse1362

distraitc1374

whapedc1374

wilsomea1375

poseletc1390

distraught1393

perplexa1425

wildc1440

wiltc1440

dodemusydc1450

mistedc1450

unclearc1475

mazed1493

perplexeda1500

traversablea1500

mazyc1525

entangled1561

muddy?1571

distraughted1572

moidered1587

wondering1592

puzzled1598

plundered1601

distracted1604

uncollected1613

wildered1642

turbid1647

tosticated1650

fuddled1656

pixie-led1659

puzzling1692

bumbazed1720

maffled1820

obfuscated1822

confused1825

muddly1829

mystified1833

maze1842

obfusticatedc1844

head-scratching1849

clueless1862

flustery1862

befogged1868

deurmekaar1871

mosy1887

skewgee1890

buggered-up1893

confusticated1898

smock-ravelled1904

messed-up1913

screwed-up1943

hung up1945

lost1967

gravelled-

c1475 Advice to Lovers in J. O. Halliwell Select. Minor Poems J. Lydgate (1840) 27 A philosophre..Had a frend that sumwhat was aged, In suche tymes as wyttes wex uncler.

1635 T. May Victorious Reigne Edward III vi. sig. M2 If with uncleare And partiall eyes my state I did not see, And so suppose his noble Courtesie To be Love-passion.

a1743 Ld. Hervey Mem. Reign George II (1848) (modernized text) I. 324 From having a most unclear head..he was absolutely useless to his brother.

1767 L. Let. to G. G. 9 As men of unclear heads when they attempt to reason abstrusely.

1828 E. B. Pusey Hist. Enq. Rationalist Char. I. i. 142 The unsystematic and unclear mind of his disciple.

1885 Cent. Mag. 31 276 So unclear in their statements that we can make nothing of them.

1957 A. Ellis Let. 28 Apr. in I. L. Reiss & A. Ellis At Dawn of Sexual Revol. (2002) 65 I..reviewed Sorokin's The American Sex Revolution..and found it a holy horror of biased and unclear thinking.

2009 P. Lind-Kyle Heal your Mind, Rewire your Brain ii. 74 Energy is diverted from the brain so that the mind becomes foggy and cognition is unclear.

c. Of a person: having or feeling doubt or confusion; uncertain; unsure. Only in predicative use.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > [adjective]

orrathc1175

unsicker?c1225

doubtousc1374

doubtive1393

unsurec1412

uncertained1470

doubtful1509

unassured1528

scriple?a1534

unpersuadeda1535

uncertainc1540

scrupulous1559

unsatisfied1575

unresolved1587

incertaina1616

dubious1632

scrupling1641

hesitant1647

insecure1649

hesitatious1657

uncleara1658

groping1691

doubting1715

dubitative1728

gingerish1764

vague1806

duberous1818

dubitant1821

undecided1828

inconclusive1836

foreheadless1844

titubant1880

convictionless1882

swithering1917

a1658 J. Durham Unsearchable Riches Christ (1685) 71 If thou be unclear as to thy Subscription, rather Subscribe & write thy name over again.

1671 R. McWard True Non-conformist 172 If you be still unclear, answere this demand with your self in sobriety.

1715 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 94 The whole brethren present seemed very unclear as to the abjuration.

1886 J. Paget Let. 7 Aug. in Mem. & Lett. vi. 362 I am unclear as to their [sc. certain patients'] names.

1944 G. Myrdal Amer. Dilemma I. xxix. 615 Whites are in many cases unclear as to what they should expect or demand.

1977 S. Turow One L i. 97 I remain unclear on the detailed procedures of interviewing and looking for work.

2004 T. J. Beck I'm Your Man ii. 25 I'm unclear what the dissatisfactory nature of your contract might be.

3. Not fully clear or pure; cloudy, obscure, opaque. Also: not easily discernible, indistinct. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > dimness or absence of brightness > [adjective]

dima1000

darkOE

troublea1327

palec1385

dullc1430

unclearc1440

unbright1534

cloudy1556

unlight1570

muddy1600

wan1601

opacous1616

filmy1642

illuminous1656

crepuscular1668

dumb1720

rayless1754

opaque1794

veilya1802

turbid1811

unlucent1819

ineffulgent1824

blear1830

unrefulgent1856

subluminous1860

subaqueous1875

shineless1882

society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > moral or spiritual impurity > [adjective]

uncleansedeOE

uncleanlyOE

uncleanOE

unpurec1390

unclearc1440

impure?1533

spotteda1535

unpurified1537

c1440 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Thornton) l. 119 Alle glowede als gledis the gaste whare scho glydis, Vmbyclede in a clowde, with clethynge vn-clere.

1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. Bij Lyquor or sape, which ye wyl puryfye from all trowblous and unclere substaunces.

?1575 tr. H. Niclaes Epistolæ xv. iii. 303 An illuminated Man..testifyeth, that no vncleere Eyes, nor darke Bodyes, haue euer seene or knowen such a gloryous Light.

1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne iv. 153 Sometimes the Sun shines through white cloud vncleere.

1754 J. Kirkpatrick Anal. Inoculation viii. 211 An unclear White of the Eye, threatens a very bad Disposition for it.

1765 J. Kirkpatrick tr. S. A. D. Tissot Advice to People with Regard to Health i. 44 When Water is unclear and turbid, it is generally sufficient to let it settle in order to clear itself.

1853 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 1 July 392/2 The bad quality of colonial sugar proceeds mainly from the boiling up into sugar of juice which is unclear.

1888 Girl's Own Paper 17 Mar. 389/3 If there be sallowness of skin, and an unclear look about the eyes, an occasional dose of Pullna water..may be taken.

1934 E. Bowen Cat Jumps 132 Mild unclear morning light filled the new white house.

1978 J. Bacque Big Lonely (new ed.) vi. 115 The city sounds burred around, aglitter in the air but unclear, like the soft furred surface of aluminum.

2009 Korea Herald (Nexis) 17 Mar. An unclear sky was seen throughout the nation yesterday as yellow sand blanketed the peninsula.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	unclear
释义	unclearadj. Brit. /(ˌ)ʌnˈklɪə/, /(ˌ)ʌŋˈklɪə/, U.S. /ˌənˈklɪ(ə)r/ Forms: see un- prefix¹ and clear adj., adv., and n. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: un- prefix¹, clear adj. Etymology: < un- prefix¹ + clear adj.Compare Middle Dutch onclaer, oncleer (Dutch onklaar), Middle Low German unklār, German unklar (16th cent.), Old Icelandic úklárr (Icelandic óklár), Old Swedish oklar (Swedish oklar). †1. Not clear of or free from fault or blame; guilty, sinful; (also) corrupt. Cf. clear adj. 15. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > guilt > [adjective] > not cleared unclearc1390 unpurged1508 unreprievable1593 unjustified1640 unexcusedc1650 uncleared1659 society > morality > moral evil > guilt > [adjective] > not free from guilt unclearc1390 c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 306 (MED) Nou schal þi concience be knowen, þat euer was vnclere. c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 12 Þai are þe lanternys of lyf..Bot þai be caȝt with couetyse, with conscians vnclere. c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine (Arun. 396) (1893) v. l. 1207 Fro al onclennesse Of lust and filthe, and fro that loue on-clere Whiche þei calle letcherie. 1607 T. Middleton Revengers Trag. ii. sig. D4^v I haue great sins, I must haue daies..To lift 'em out, and not to die vncleere. 1639 G. Daniel Ecclus. xvii. 80 Those Horrid Crimes of Mortalls Shall appeare Vgly and Monstrous, vile, deform'd, vncleare. 1722 J. Willison Five Serm. v. 120 Death..is near, and I am most unready for it. Judgment is approaching, my Compts are unclear. a1762 M. Somervel Condescension, Love, & Faithfulness of God (1789) vii. 30 I cannot think to live any longer in an unclear state, and far less to die in it. 2. a. Not easy to understand; not obvious or intelligible. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > unintelligibility > depth, obscurity > [adjective] higheOE dighela1000 deepc1000 darkOE starkOE dusk?c1225 subtle1340 dimc1350 subtilea1393 covert1393 mystica1398 murka1400 cloudyc1400 hard?c1400 mistyc1400 unclearc1400 diffuse1430 abstractc1450 diffused?1456 exquisitec1460 obnubilous?a1475 obscure?a1475 covered1484 intricate?a1500 nice?a1500 perplexeda1500 difficilea1513 difficult1530 privy1532 smoky1533 secret1535 abstruse?1549 difficul1552 entangled1561 confounded1572 darksome1574 obnubilate1575 enigmatical1576 confuse1577 mysteriousa1586 Delphic1598 obfuscatea1600 enfumed1601 Delphicala1603 obstruse1604 abstracted1605 confused1611 questionable1611 inevident1614 recondite1619 cryptic1620 obfuscated1620 transcendent1624 Delphian1625 oraculous1625 enigmatic1628 recluse1629 abdite1635 undilucidated1635 clouded1641 benighted1647 oblite1650 researched1653 obnubilated1658 obscurative1664 tenebrose1677 hyperbyssal1691 condite1695 diffusive1709 profound1710 tenebricose1730 oracular1749 opaque1761 unenlightening1768 darkling1795 offuscating1798 unrecognizable1817 tough1820 abstrusive1848 obscurant1878 out-of-focus1891 unplumbable1895 inenubilable1903 non-transparent1939 society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > obscurity > [adjective] darkOE murka1400 cloudyc1400 mistyc1400 unclearc1400 obturate?a1425 obscure?a1439 unplain?c1535 obumbilatec1540 abstruse?1549 darksome1574 mysteriousa1586 obstruse1604 muddy1611 unperspicuous1634 clouded1641 imperspicuous1654 cramp1674 unlucid1711 abstract1725 opaque1761 obumbratory1799 darkling1813 sludgy1901 c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 307 I calde, and þou knew myn vn-cler steuen. a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. Prol. f. ii Ryght mysty storyes doughtfull and vnclere. 1591 (?a1425) Trial & Flagellation (Huntington) in R. M. Lumiansky & D. Mill Chester Myst. Cycle (1974) I. 297 But my might in this manere will I not prove,..my cause uncleare were then, in good faye. 1611 C. Tourneur Atheist's Trag. (new ed.) iv. sig. I3^v The time; the place; All circumstances argue that vncleare. 1678 G. Mackenzie Laws & Customes Scotl. ii. 553 It were very hard upon testimonies, that have so unclear a causa scientiæ.., to take away a mans life. 1748 Thoughts on Constit. 16 Were their own Laws on this Head defective, or unclear, as I think they are not. 1798 Monthly Mag. 6 99 The mythological allusions in the 10th, 11th and 12th verses are unclear. 1828 E. B. Pusey Hist. Enq. Rationalist Char. I. i. p. xiv To fix the stamp of misconception upon every thing else which is unclear in the work. 1884 Law Times Rep. 50 297/2 That these otherwise clear and plain words are made doubtful and unclear by the 3rd clause of this section. 1957 S. J. Perelman Road to Miltown 215 Why she doesn't strangle the brat then and there is unclear. 2013 Daily Tel. 27 Sept. 29/2 The circumstances of his death are unclear. b. Lacking clarity of perception, understanding, or expression; confused, muddled. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > [adjective] yblenta1225 amazed?c1225 wory?c1225 mingedc1275 willc1300 distracta1340 confounded1362 confuse1362 distraitc1374 whapedc1374 wilsomea1375 poseletc1390 distraught1393 perplexa1425 wildc1440 wiltc1440 dodemusydc1450 mistedc1450 unclearc1475 mazed1493 perplexeda1500 traversablea1500 mazyc1525 entangled1561 muddy?1571 distraughted1572 moidered1587 wondering1592 puzzled1598 plundered1601 distracted1604 uncollected1613 wildered1642 turbid1647 tosticated1650 fuddled1656 pixie-led1659 puzzling1692 bumbazed1720 maffled1820 obfuscated1822 confused1825 muddly1829 mystified1833 maze1842 obfusticatedc1844 head-scratching1849 clueless1862 flustery1862 befogged1868 deurmekaar1871 mosy1887 skewgee1890 buggered-up1893 confusticated1898 smock-ravelled1904 messed-up1913 screwed-up1943 hung up1945 lost1967 gravelled- c1475 Advice to Lovers in J. O. Halliwell Select. Minor Poems J. Lydgate (1840) 27 A philosophre..Had a frend that sumwhat was aged, In suche tymes as wyttes wex uncler. 1635 T. May Victorious Reigne Edward III vi. sig. M2 If with uncleare And partiall eyes my state I did not see, And so suppose his noble Courtesie To be Love-passion. a1743 Ld. Hervey Mem. Reign George II (1848) (modernized text) I. 324 From having a most unclear head..he was absolutely useless to his brother. 1767 L. Let. to G. G. 9 As men of unclear heads when they attempt to reason abstrusely. 1828 E. B. Pusey Hist. Enq. Rationalist Char. I. i. 142 The unsystematic and unclear mind of his disciple. 1885 Cent. Mag. 31 276 So unclear in their statements that we can make nothing of them. 1957 A. Ellis Let. 28 Apr. in I. L. Reiss & A. Ellis At Dawn of Sexual Revol. (2002) 65 I..reviewed Sorokin's The American Sex Revolution..and found it a holy horror of biased and unclear thinking. 2009 P. Lind-Kyle Heal your Mind, Rewire your Brain ii. 74 Energy is diverted from the brain so that the mind becomes foggy and cognition is unclear. c. Of a person: having or feeling doubt or confusion; uncertain; unsure. Only in predicative use. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > [adjective] orrathc1175 unsicker?c1225 doubtousc1374 doubtive1393 unsurec1412 uncertained1470 doubtful1509 unassured1528 scriple?a1534 unpersuadeda1535 uncertainc1540 scrupulous1559 unsatisfied1575 unresolved1587 incertaina1616 dubious1632 scrupling1641 hesitant1647 insecure1649 hesitatious1657 uncleara1658 groping1691 doubting1715 dubitative1728 gingerish1764 vague1806 duberous1818 dubitant1821 undecided1828 inconclusive1836 foreheadless1844 titubant1880 convictionless1882 swithering1917 a1658 J. Durham Unsearchable Riches Christ (1685) 71 If thou be unclear as to thy Subscription, rather Subscribe & write thy name over again. 1671 R. McWard True Non-conformist 172 If you be still unclear, answere this demand with your self in sobriety. 1715 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 94 The whole brethren present seemed very unclear as to the abjuration. 1886 J. Paget Let. 7 Aug. in Mem. & Lett. vi. 362 I am unclear as to their [sc. certain patients'] names. 1944 G. Myrdal Amer. Dilemma I. xxix. 615 Whites are in many cases unclear as to what they should expect or demand. 1977 S. Turow One L i. 97 I remain unclear on the detailed procedures of interviewing and looking for work. 2004 T. J. Beck I'm Your Man ii. 25 I'm unclear what the dissatisfactory nature of your contract might be. 3. Not fully clear or pure; cloudy, obscure, opaque. Also: not easily discernible, indistinct. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > light > darkness or absence of light > dimness or absence of brightness > [adjective] dima1000 darkOE troublea1327 palec1385 dullc1430 unclearc1440 unbright1534 cloudy1556 unlight1570 muddy1600 wan1601 opacous1616 filmy1642 illuminous1656 crepuscular1668 dumb1720 rayless1754 opaque1794 veilya1802 turbid1811 unlucent1819 ineffulgent1824 blear1830 unrefulgent1856 subluminous1860 subaqueous1875 shineless1882 society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > moral or spiritual impurity > [adjective] uncleansedeOE uncleanlyOE uncleanOE unpurec1390 unclearc1440 impure?1533 spotteda1535 unpurified1537 c1440 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Thornton) l. 119 Alle glowede als gledis the gaste whare scho glydis, Vmbyclede in a clowde, with clethynge vn-clere. 1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. Bij Lyquor or sape, which ye wyl puryfye from all trowblous and unclere substaunces. ?1575 tr. H. Niclaes Epistolæ xv. iii. 303 An illuminated Man..testifyeth, that no vncleere Eyes, nor darke Bodyes, haue euer seene or knowen such a gloryous Light. 1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne iv. 153 Sometimes the Sun shines through white cloud vncleere. 1754 J. Kirkpatrick Anal. Inoculation viii. 211 An unclear White of the Eye, threatens a very bad Disposition for it. 1765 J. Kirkpatrick tr. S. A. D. Tissot Advice to People with Regard to Health i. 44 When Water is unclear and turbid, it is generally sufficient to let it settle in order to clear itself. 1853 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 1 July 392/2 The bad quality of colonial sugar proceeds mainly from the boiling up into sugar of juice which is unclear. 1888 Girl's Own Paper 17 Mar. 389/3 If there be sallowness of skin, and an unclear look about the eyes, an occasional dose of Pullna water..may be taken. 1934 E. Bowen Cat Jumps 132 Mild unclear morning light filled the new white house. 1978 J. Bacque Big Lonely (new ed.) vi. 115 The city sounds burred around, aglitter in the air but unclear, like the soft furred surface of aluminum. 2009 Korea Herald (Nexis) 17 Mar. An unclear sky was seen throughout the nation yesterday as yellow sand blanketed the peninsula. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.c1390
随便看	gird down gird forth gird forward gird in gird in two gird off gird on gird one's loins gird one's reins gird out gird the loins gird to death gird to ground gird together gird up gird up the loins gird-off girded girder girder-bridge girder-rail girderage girderbridge girdered girderrail