shades of grey

shades of grey

Meaning

• refers to a situation where things are not really clear
• when things are vague or have very sketchy details
• a state of uncertainty where things are ambiguous

Example Sentences

1. Tina's story to the police on how she got mugged was different shades of grey as it was not consistent.
2. People should avoid getting involved in business deals that have different shades of grey.
3. I like when things are clearly spelt out instead of being left in a situation with various shades of grey.
4. Lisa loves to leave things in shades of grey rather than being very direct and blunt.
5. Matthew was uncomfortable with the situation because it was clearly a case of different shades of grey.

Origin

This phrase actually originated from a popular saying which “things are not black or white”. When something is said to be in black and white, it is distinctly referring to a clear choice such as yes or no, left or right. When this is not clearly defined, then it is said to be in a grey area just because the color grey is between black of white. So when a situation is not clear as black and white, it was then said to be various shades of grey.