グレーゾーン

ぐれーぞーん

noun

grey area, gray zone

1. grey area, gray zone

An ambiguous area that is not clearly defined as right or wrong, legal or illegal, acceptable or unacceptable.

それはグレーゾーンだ。

That's a grey area.

法律(ほうりつ)のグレーゾーンを突(つ)くビジネスもある。

Some businesses exploit legal grey areas.

この問題(もんだい)はグレーゾーンが多(おお)くて、はっきり判断(はんだん)できない。

This issue has a lot of grey areas, so it's hard to make a clear judgment.

グレーゾーン is a Japanese coinage combining English "grey" and "zone," referring to ambiguous areas where rules, laws, or standards are unclear.

Common collocations

グレーゾーンを突(つ)く: to exploit a grey area
グレーゾーンが広(ひろ)い: the grey area is wide
法的(ほうてき)なグレーゾーン: legal grey area
グレーゾーンに位置(いち)する: to fall in a grey area
黒(くろ)に近(ちか)いグレーゾーン: a grey area close to being wrong/illegal

Usage

Frequently used in legal, ethical, and business contexts. Also used in interpersonal situations where boundaries are unclear. Often implies that something is technically not forbidden but is ethically questionable.

Similar words

白黒(しろくろ)つける: to make things black and white (to settle things clearly)
曖昧(あいまい): vague, ambiguous (broader term, not limited to rules/ethics)

Related Words

Related: 曖昧(あいまい) (vague, ambiguous)

general

Added 2026.2.11 15:42 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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