disambiguate

American  

[dis-am-big-yoo-eyt] / ˌdɪs æmˈbɪg yuˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

disambiguated, disambiguating

1. to remove the ambiguity from; make unambiguous.

   In order to disambiguate the sentence “She lectured on the famous passenger ship,” you'll have to write either “lectured on board” or “lectured about.”

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disambiguate British  

/ ˌdɪsæmˈbɪɡjʊˌeɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to make (an ambiguous expression) unambiguous

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Other Word Forms

• disambiguation noun

Etymology

Origin of disambiguate

First recorded in 1960–65; dis- ¹ + ambigu(ous) + -ate ¹

Explanation

We will try our best to disambiguate the following definition: to disambiguate is to make a sentence or phrase perfectly clear by removing all uncertainty. Disambiguate is another way to say "clarify," and it's most commonly used to talk about language, linguistics, or the law. A scholar might disambiguate two similar terms by clearly defining them in the paper she's writing. Websites like Wikipedia disambiguate in a similar way, especially when one word, phrase, or name has several different meanings.

Example Sentences

Creatives behind the numerous “Scooby-Doo” adaptations have for years tried to disambiguate Velma’s sexuality.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2022

“We have to decide: Is it really the same entity that we are referring to? Sometimes context will disambiguate for us, and often it will not,” Baron says.

From Washington Post • Jul. 12, 2019

In the absence of other cues that could disambiguate the picture, we were left with an inherently ambiguous image.

From Slate • Mar. 2, 2015

Through a series of studies with rats, it was found that time cell activity could uniquely code successive events and were able to disambiguate overlapping sequences in temporally organized episodes.

From Scientific American • Jun. 3, 2013

I can only follow the stone's progress for a few seconds before my eyes can no longer disambiguate it from the surrounding countryside.

From Eastern Standard Tribe by Doctorow, Cory

Related Words

• authorize
• base
• confirm
• determine
• enact
• formulate
• make
• prove
• ratify