Unclear

How to spell unclear

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce unclear

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unclear mean?

1. adjectiveNot easy to see, hear, or understand; lacking clarity or certainty.

Unclear in a sentence

• The instructions were so unclear that nobody knew where to begin.

• It remains unclear whether the meeting will go ahead next week.

Where does unclear come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is a transparent English compound built from the prefix un-, an old native Germanic negative meaning 'not', joined to the adjective 'clear'. The base word 'clear' arrived in English during the 1300s through Old French 'cler', which descended from the Latin 'clarus', meaning 'bright', 'shining', or 'distinct'. That same Latin root survives in relatives such as 'clarity', 'clarify', and 'declare', all carrying the idea of making something plain or evident. The prefixed form 'unclear', meaning 'not easy to see or understand', is recorded from the 1600s and was assembled wholly within English rather than borrowed ready-made. Because both halves are common everyday words, the spelling holds no surprises beyond remembering it is written as one solid word with no hyphen.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• clear (from Latin clarus: bright, distinct)