ambiguity

[am-bi-gyoo-i-tee]

See more synonyms for ambiguity on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural am·bi·gu·i·ties.

doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention: to speak with ambiguity; an ambiguity of manner.
an unclear, indefinite, or equivocal word, expression, meaning, etc.: a contract free of ambiguities; the ambiguities of modern poetry.

Origin of ambiguity

1375–1425; late Middle English ambiguite < Latin ambiguitās, equivalent to ambigu(us) ambiguous + -itās -ity

Related formsnon·am·bi·gu·i·ty, noun, plural non·am·bi·gu·i·ties.

Synonyms for ambiguity

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1. vagueness, deceptiveness. 2. equivocation.

Antonyms for ambiguity

1. explicitness, clarity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ambiguity

vagueness, doubt, uncertainty, equivocation, obscurity, puzzle, doubtfulness, dubiousness, tergiversation, indefiniteness, enigma, anagram, dubiety, incertitude, polysemy, equivocality, double-entendre, equivocacy

Examples from the Web for ambiguity

Contemporary Examples of ambiguity

The ambiguity revolving around the event made it a poor candidate for a final showdown.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution
Michael Zantovsky
December 6, 2014
Hollande is ‘the king of doublespeak, ambiguity, and perpetual lies’
Hell Hath No Fury Like Valerie Trierweiler, the French President’s Ex
Lizzie Crocker
November 28, 2014
But the ambiguity of “appropriate disciplinary action” is what is so frightening about the smoking ban.
The University Of New Orleans’ Cigarette Ban Is Total BS
Chloé Valdary
October 21, 2014
I was very interested in seeing that the ambiguity of the novel was replicated in the movie.
Sherman Alexie on His New Film, the Redskins, and Why It's OK to Laugh at His Work
William O’Connor
August 22, 2014
The medium, the long form, rewards… if not ambiguity, then elements that create multiple reactions in the viewer.
The Director Isn’t Done Yet: An Interview With Steven Soderbergh
Andrew Romano
August 1, 2014

Historical Examples of ambiguity

There is no circumlocution nor ambiguity of expression here.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 350, December 1844
Various
James never noticed anything—or if he did, his ambiguity was two-edged.
Love and Lucy
Maurice Henry Hewlett
Obscurity in a teacher is a great defect, especially when he glories in his ambiguity.
The Mistakes of Jesus
William Floyd
He found an ambiguity in the wording, a choice of constructions.
The Long Roll
Mary Johnston
Even the term "expression" has a certain amount of ambiguity.
Evolution in Modern Thought
Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for ambiguity

ambiguity

noun plural -ties

the possibility of interpreting an expression in two or more distinct ways
an instance of this, as in the sentence they are cooking apples
vagueness or uncertainty of meaningthere are several ambiguities in the situation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ambiguity

c.1400, "uncertainty, doubt, indecision, hesitation," also from Medieval Latin ambiguitatem (nominative ambiguitas) "double meaning, equivocalness, double sense," noun of state from ambiguus (see ambiguous).