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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

clean slate en · NOUN

Meanings

  1. (broadly, figuratively) A fresh start.
    • I paid off my debt slowly. I started contributing to my first 401(k). I learned how to read a paycheck, how to budget, how to save, and how much I could realistically afford in rent while still setting something aside. […] One year later, I returned to the city with a clean financial slate. 2026 April 22, Jillian Sanders, “The Danger of Surrendering Your Financial Independence in a Relationship”, in TIME, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2026:
    • Near-synonyms: new leaf, new page, new canvas, new sheet; blank slate, blank canvas, tabula rasa
  2. A slate on which the courses steered by a ship (and distances run) were recorded, but have been wiped clean after being entered in the log at the end of a watch.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
clean slates Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

start with a clean slate

Relateds

wipe the slate clean · slatelike

Synonyms

tabula rasa · blank canvas · blank slate · new canvas · new page · new sheet · new leaf

Translations (3)

pl świeży start (a fresh start) · es foja cero (a fresh start) · pl nowy początek (a fresh start)