ambiguity

[ am-bi-gyoo-i-tee ]

/ ˌæm bɪˈgyu ɪ ti /

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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.

OTHER WORDS FOR ambiguity

1 vagueness, deceptiveness.

2 equivocation.

See synonyms for ambiguity on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR ambiguity

1 explicitness, clarity.

See antonyms for ambiguity on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ambiguity

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

OTHER WORDS FROM ambiguity

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

Words nearby ambiguity

ambient air standard, ambiente, ambient music, ambient noise, ambigram, ambiguity, ambiguous, ambilateral, ambiophony, ambipolar, ambira

How to use ambiguity in a sentence

In another, she explains that the profession does not tend to attract people who have “patience for ambiguity.”
A Georgetown professor trades her classroom for a police beat|Ronald S. Sullivan Jr.|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Such uncertainty generates stress, Boss said, and “coping with stress, coping with ambiguity, is especially hard.”
Politics and conspiracy theories are fracturing relationships. Here’s how to grieve those broken bonds.|Jeff Schrum|February 11, 2021|Washington Post
For example, decades-old state laws have left some ambiguity about whether the council can on its own roll back a police commissioner’s discipline authority.
New York City Council Proposes Sweeping NYPD Reforms|by Eric Umansky and Joaquin Sapien|February 1, 2021|ProPublica
It’s this moral ambiguity that modernizes the historical narrative, as scripted by Sarah Williams, who previously adapted Levy’s Small Island for the BBC.
The Long Song Is a Brilliant Tale of Slavery’s End in Jamaica, Frustratingly Told|Judy Berman|January 29, 2021|Time

This ambiguity stands in contrast to recent news that suggests Flint’s story is headed for resolution.
The Unfinished Business of Flint’s Water Crisis|by Anna Clark|January 22, 2021|ProPublica
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
It was never a huge hit, but its stories resonated with an American public tenuously relearning moral ambiguity.
How a War-Weary Vet Created ‘The Twilight Zone’|Rich Goldstein|November 13, 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
No one wants to go through life in a state of moral and existential ambiguity.
Thank Goodness We’ve Got A Plan! Let the War Begin!|Michael Carson|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If, however, we know that Garfield was born in 1831, the ambiguity would be removed.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
And if a policy is susceptible of two constructions, the ambiguity is to be resolved in favor of the insured.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
Ambiguity abounds everywhere and confounds everything; we are obliged at every word to exclaim, What do you mean?
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
Thus, all that has been said of the pretended adoration exacted by Alexander is founded on ambiguity.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
The following are instances of great practical importance, in which arguments are habitually founded on a verbal ambiguity.
A System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive|John Stuart Mill

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

OTHER WORDS FOR ambiguity

OPPOSITES FOR ambiguity

Origin of ambiguity

OTHER WORDS FROM ambiguity

Words nearby ambiguity

Words related to ambiguity

How to use ambiguity in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ambiguity