unambiguous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unambiguous
Explanation
If something is unambiguous, there are no two ways to interpret it. If your girlfriend burns all your letters, texts you that she hates you, and moves a thousand miles away, the unambiguous message is that she’s finished with you. If you're nervously reading the manual on how to trap the rattlesnake that's hiding under your bed, you'd hope the instructions would be unambiguous and tell you very clearly what to do. The word unambiguous gets its meaning from un-, meaning "not," combined with the Latin -ambi-, meaning "both ways," and -agere, meaning "to drive." So unambiguous is not driving in two directions — it's going full speed ahead, in just one direction, with only one meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing unambiguous
Power Prefix: un-
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Now I See! Synonyms for "Clear"
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Invisible Man
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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.
Whatever one thinks of Operation Epic Fury, the signal is unambiguous: The U.S. is willing to apply overwhelming force, with deliberate restraint toward civilian infrastructure and without escalation anxiety.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Supreme Court’s judges have just pointed out, is unambiguous about tariffs.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 20, 2026
"Let me state clearly: the law must take its course," says the unambiguous statement from the King, offering no hiding place or protection.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
But it remains surprising that its members continue to stick doggedly to their story in the face of unambiguous video evidence contradicting it.
From Slate • Jan. 15, 2026
The Americans had no choice but to leave trails in the snow as unambiguous as diagrams in a book on ballroom dancing—step, slide, rest—step, slide, rest.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
