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

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. )

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

Critic Siddhant Adlakha was struck by the ambiguity the film captures.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The eponymous biography of Egil Skallagrímsson, a terrifying and real 10th-century Icelandic warrior-poet, is full of magic, moral ambiguity, carnage and vivid poetry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

I wondered if ambiguity had been outlawed along with the funeral rites of Antíkona’s warrior brother Polynices.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

"Reforms are not clearly defined in the agreement document. Some ambiguity remains", Abdoulaye Ndiaye, a Senegalese economist at New York University, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

In effect, he used the inherent ambiguity of the offensive statement to evade any direct response to Burr.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Supporters of the amendment argue that it will clear up ambiguities in the current law.

From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 5, 2026

“I have communicated with manufacturers to the extent that any ambiguities or misunderstandings may have existed. I think they’ve been dissipated,” MacKinnon says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

Any ambiguities in the videos shared online were seized upon - different angles and different screengrabs were used to push a particular narrative.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 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

Related Words

• doubt
• uncertainty
• vagueness