ambiguity

American  

[am-bi-gyoo-i-tee] / ˌæm bɪˈgju ɪ ti /

noun

• ambiguities
  plural

1. doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention.

   to speak with ambiguity;

   an ambiguity of manner.

   Synonyms:

   deceptiveness, vagueness

   Antonyms:

   clarity, explicitness

2. an unclear, indefinite, or equivocal word, expression, meaning, etc..

   a contract free of ambiguities;

   the ambiguities of modern poetry.

   Synonyms:

   equivocation

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ambiguity British  

/ ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːɪtɪ /

noun

1. the possibility of interpreting an expression in two or more distinct ways

2. an instance of this, as in the sentence they are cooking apples

3. vagueness or uncertainty of meaning

   there are several ambiguities in the situation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonambiguity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ambiguities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ambiguity

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English ambiguite, from Latin ambiguitās, equivalent to ambigu(us) ambiguous ( def. ) + -itās -ity ( def. )

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Explanation

Something with ambiguity is unclear. Think about the sentence, "Jill saw the man with binoculars." If you are wondering whether Jill or the man had the binoculars, you are noticing the ambiguity, or the double meaning, of this sentence. Lawyers word contracts to avoid ambiguity, but in doing so prevent anyone who is not a lawyer from understanding what they have written! If you can't choose between two decisions because both seem somehow wrong, you are dealing with moral ambiguity. Imagine if a friend who has helped you out many times asks you to cheat. It's wrong to cheat but it also seems wrong not to help someone who has been there for you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ambiguity ambiguities

An upcoming exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, previewed by AFP, examines the ambiguity.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Rather than resolving the tension, Dostoevsky forces the reader to sit with this ambiguity, allowing the scene to stand as the ultimate test of the novel’s moral equilibrium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

And recalls themselves contain an uncomfortable ambiguity: They reveal that something dangerous entered the food supply, but also that someone detected a problem and warned the public.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

For a movie so steeped in ambiguity and nuance, it also often states its case quite plainly, such as when the couple’s lawyer says no one can really know what goes on in another family.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

The messages are urgent, but they may arrive, for all we know, in a fragrance of ambiguity.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

A midnight curfew was introduced following an Ashes tour blighted by off-field problems, but ambiguities around the curfew were a factor in the nightclub controversy involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

“These ambiguities … are only likely to intensify as the conflict evolves,” Skuld said.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 5, 2026

That includes the need to maintain the ambiguities and the nuance of the film as Tracy wrote it.

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

The brevity—and breakneck speed—of many of the new trade deals with the U.S. have left ambiguities that vex swift approvals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

Psycholinguists call these local ambiguities “garden paths,” from the expression “to lead someone up the garden path,” that is, to mislead him.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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Related Words

• doubt
• uncertainty
• vagueness

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