ambiguous

[am-big-yoo-uhs]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ambiguous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal: an ambiguous answer.

Linguistics. (of an expression) exhibiting constructional homonymity; having two or more structural descriptions, as the sequence Flying planes can be dangerous.

of doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify: a rock of ambiguous character.

lacking clearness or definiteness; obscure; indistinct: an ambiguous shape; an ambiguous future.

Origin of ambiguous

1520–30; < Latin ambiguus, equivalent to ambig(ere) be uncertain (amb- ambi- + -igere combining form of agere to drive, lead, act) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix; see -ous

Related formsam·big·u·ous·ly, adverbam·big·u·ous·ness, nounun·am·big·u·ous, adjective

Can be confusedambiguous ambivalent

Synonyms for ambiguous

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ambiguous ON THESAURUS.COM

3. dubious, vague, indeterminate, unclassifiable, anomalous. 4. puzzling, enigmatic, problematic.

Synonym study

1. ambiguous, equivocal, cryptic, enigmatic describe conditions or statements not clear in meaning. ambiguous can refer to a statement, act, or attitude that is capable of two or more often contradictory interpretations, usually accidentally or unintentionally so: an ambiguous passage in the preamble. equivocal, usually applied to spoken as well as written language, also means susceptible of two or more interpretations, and it usually suggests a deliberate intent to mislead by avoiding clarity: saving face with an equivocal response to an embarrassing question. cryptic usually refers to intentional obscurity, especially in language, and often implies a private or hidden meaning but stresses resultant mystification or puzzlement: a cryptic remark that left us struggling to interpret his intention. enigmatic focuses on perplexity resulting from a mysterious or imponderable event or utterance, often one of great importance or deep significance: prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries.

Antonyms for ambiguous

1. explicit. 3. certain. 4. clear, precise, unambiguous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ambiguous

enigmatic, questionable, unclear, uncertain, puzzling, equivocal, opaque, inconclusive, dubious, cryptic, obscure, vague, doubtful, indefinite, indeterminate, muddy, tenebrous, unintelligible, inexplicit, enigmatical

Examples from the Web for ambiguous

Contemporary Examples of ambiguous

We can only speculate as to the intentions behind these ambiguous words.
Is Pope Francis Backpedaling on Gays?
Jay Michaelson
November 19, 2014
The writer has followed a rule but compromised clarity; whether the vote or the approval was immediate is ambiguous.
Go Ahead, End With a Preposition: Grammar Rules We All Can Live With
Nick Romeo
November 3, 2014
“The subject area in question is subjective and ambiguous,” he wrote.
Fired From Los Alamos for Pushing Obama's Nuclear Agenda
Center for Public Integrity
July 31, 2014
In a sense, the ambiguous nature of their relationship—is it sexual or not?
Cara Delevingne, Ireland Baldwin, and How Sexually Uninhibited Models Are Bucking the Male Gaze
Amanda Marcotte
July 2, 2014
I really looked at it very carefully, and my feeling is that it has to be ambiguous.
How ‘Transcendence’ Director Wally Pfister Became Christopher Nolan’s Secret Weapon
Andrew Romano
April 17, 2014

Historical Examples of ambiguous

“Possibly,” said he, with an ambiguous half smile, which I did not understand.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
Such are the modes in which propositions and terms may be ambiguous.'
Euthydemus
Plato
His ambiguous, loose talk, only perplexed and alarmed her; the explanation was none at all.
The Strollers
Frederic S. Isham
A cold, ambiguous smile was the only reply he received to this speech.
The Fortunes Of Glencore
Charles James Lever
There is cited the case of a negro arrested on an ambiguous charge.
Negro Migration during the War
Emmett J. Scott

British Dictionary definitions for ambiguous

ambiguous

adjective

having more than one possible interpretation or meaning

difficult to understand or classify; obscure

Derived Formsambiguously, adverbambiguousness, noun

Word Origin for ambiguous

C16: from Latin ambiguus going here and there, uncertain, from ambigere to go around, from ambi- + agere to lead, act

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 ambiguous

adj.

1520s, from Latin ambiguus "having double meaning, shifting, changeable, doubtful," adjective derived from ambigere "to dispute about," literally "to wander," from ambi- "about" (see ambi-) + agere "drive, lead, act" (see act). Sir Thomas More (1528) seems to have first used it in English, but ambiguity dates back to c.1400. Related: Ambiguously; ambiguousness.