ambiguous

American  

[am-big-yoo-uhs] / æmˈbɪg yu əs /

adjective

1. open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal.

   an ambiguous answer.

   Antonyms:

   explicit

2. Linguistics. (of an expression) exhibiting constructional homonymity; having two or more structural descriptions, as the sequence Flying planes can be dangerous.

3. of doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify.

   a rock of ambiguous character.

   Synonyms:

   anomalous, problematic, indeterminate, vague, dubious

   Antonyms:

   certain

4. lacking clearness or definiteness; obscure; indistinct: an ambiguous future.

   an ambiguous shape;

   an ambiguous future.

   Synonyms:

   enigmatic, puzzling

   Antonyms:

   unambiguous, precise, clear

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ambiguous British  

/ æmˈbɪɡjʊəs /

adjective

1. having more than one possible interpretation or meaning

2. difficult to understand or classify; obscure

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Synonym Usage

ambiguous, equivocal, cryptic, enigmatic describe conditions or statements not clear in meaning. ambiguous can refer to a statement, act, or attitude that is capable of two or more often contradictory interpretations, usually accidentally or unintentionally so: an ambiguous passage in the preamble. equivocal, usually applied to spoken as well as written language, also means susceptible of two or more interpretations, and it usually suggests a deliberate intent to mislead by avoiding clarity: saving face with an equivocal response to an embarrassing question. cryptic usually refers to intentional obscurity, especially in language, and often implies a private or hidden meaning but stresses resultant mystification or puzzlement: a cryptic remark that left us struggling to interpret his intention. enigmatic focuses on perplexity resulting from a mysterious or imponderable event or utterance, often one of great importance or deep significance: prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ambiguously
  adverb
• unambiguous
  adjective
• ambiguousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ambiguous

First recorded in 1480–1500; from Latin ambiguus, equivalent to ambig(ere) “to dispute, contend; be undecided, doubt” (from ambi- prefix meaning “both, around” + -igere combining form of agere “to drive, lead, act”) + -uus adjective suffix; see origin at ambi-; see -ous

Explanation

Look to the adjective ambiguous when you need to describe something that's open to more than one interpretation, like the headline "Squad helps dog bite victim." Newspaper headlines can be unintentionally funny when they're ambiguous. In "Squad helps dog bite victim," is the squad helping a victim of a dog bite or helping a dog bite a victim? The ambi- prefix means "both ways," while the guous part is from the Latin verb agere, "to lead or drive." Thus an ambiguous sentence or situation drives us in two different directions at once. The accent is on the second syllable, "big," which you can remember since something that's ambiguous can lead to big misunderstandings.

Related Words

• cryptic
• dubious
• enigmatic
• equivocal
• inconclusive
• obscure
• opaque
• puzzling
• questionable
• uncertain
• unclear
• vague