ambiguous
Americanadjective
-
open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal.
an ambiguous answer.
- Antonyms:
- explicit
-
Linguistics. (of an expression) exhibiting constructional homonymity; having two or more structural descriptions, as the sequence Flying planes can be dangerous.
-
of doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify.
a rock of ambiguous character.
- Synonyms:
- anomalous, problematic, indeterminate, vague, dubious
- Antonyms:
- certain
-
lacking clearness or definiteness; obscure; indistinct: an ambiguous future.
an ambiguous shape;
an ambiguous future.
- Antonyms:
- unambiguous, precise, clear
adjective
-
having more than one possible interpretation or meaning
-
difficult to understand or classify; obscure
Related Words
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
- ambiguously adverb
- ambiguousness noun
- unambiguous adjective
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; ambi-; -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Barkin said he saw potentially ambiguous impacts from the Middle East conflict.
Publicly, no Iranian official has confirmed any negotiations, but the language used is ambiguous.
From Barron's
It’s a buzzy yet ambiguous term, and its very lack of definition means it might already appear deflated, depending on the metrics used to evaluate it.
From Barron's
“If a statute is ambiguous, then it’s the court that makes the call about what the statute means, not the agency,” Pettit explained.
From Salon
The characters are not in themselves complicated or ambiguous; it’s as psychologically simple as “Star Wars” was, to start — and you know how that worked out.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
