ambiguity

[ am-bi-gyoo-i-tee ]

/ ˌæm bɪˈgyu ɪ ti /

SEE 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.

Words nearby ambiguity

ambient, ambient air standard, ambient music, ambient noise, ambiente, ambiguity, ambiguous, ambiguous external genitalia, ambiguous nucleus, ambilateral, ambilevous

Origin of ambiguity

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

SYNONYMS FOR ambiguity

1 vagueness, deceptiveness.

2 equivocation.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ambiguity ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR ambiguity

1 explicitness, clarity.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR ambiguity ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM ambiguity

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
In case of ambiguity, the one known to have been published by Harper & Brothers in or before 1872 was assumed.
Publisher's Advertising (1872)|Anonymous
I can only hope that your reply will avoid any ambiguity, and for your further enlightenment I may inform you that I am annoyed.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, April 1, 1914|Various
This certitude admits no hesitation, no ambiguity; it is absolute; as soon as it has obtained assent, it remains immutable.
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 2|Plotinos (Plotinus)
It is the ambiguity of language only which can make this proposition appear either doubtful or paradoxical.
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations|Adam Smith
Such attempts are necessary in a time of transition, but they involve a measure of obscurity and ambiguity.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ambiguity

ambiguity

/ (ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːɪtɪ) /

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

ambiguity

noun, plural am·bi·gu·i·ties.

Words related to ambiguity

Words nearby ambiguity

Origin of ambiguity

SYNONYMS FOR ambiguity

ANTONYMS FOR ambiguity

OTHER WORDS FROM ambiguity

Examples from the Web for ambiguity

British Dictionary definitions for ambiguity

noun plural -ties