ambiguous

[ am-big-yoo-uhs ]

/ æmˈbɪg yu əs /

SEE 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

First recorded in 1480–1500; from Latin ambiguus, equivalent to ambig(ere) “to dispute, contend; be undecided, doubt” (from ambi- prefix meaning “both, around” + -igere combining form of agere “to drive, lead, act”) +-uus adjective suffix; see origin at ambi-; see -ous

SYNONYMS FOR ambiguous

3 dubious, vague, indeterminate, problematic; unclassifiable, anomalous.

4 puzzling, enigmatic.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ambiguous ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR ambiguous

1 explicit.

3 certain.

4 clear, precise, unambiguous.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR ambiguous ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for ambiguous

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM ambiguous

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ambiguous

ambiguous , ambivalent

Words nearby ambiguous

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

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

Example sentences from the Web for ambiguous

The question was ambiguous as stated, so I gave credit for both answers.
The Fifth Battle For Riddler Nation|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 4, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Such questions routinely prompt ambiguous and gendered responses.
How to be a fair-pay CEO|matthewheimer|August 25, 2020|Fortune
Finally, as some readers observed, the original puzzle was slightly ambiguous as written.
Can You Reach The Beach?|Zach Wissner-Gross|August 7, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
In those ambiguous cases, mathematicians have additional tools at their disposal.
The ‘Useless’ Perspective That Transformed Mathematics|Kevin Hartnett|June 9, 2020|Quanta Magazine

We can only speculate as to the intentions behind these ambiguous words.
Is Pope Francis Backpedaling on Gays?|Jay Michaelson|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
“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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Her emotions were too definite to find solacing outline in ambiguous pirouettes.
Gargoyles|Ben Hecht
The truth was that the position of this grave and still comely woman was ambiguous.
With Edged Tools|Henry Seton Merriman
Ambiguous as this reply may be considered, it encouraged the cherished hope that her husband would be restored to her.
George Cruikshank's Omnibus|George Cruikshank
Henry and his brothers were, however, compelled in 1572 to sign an ambiguous assent to this agreement.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6|Various
In this ambiguous feeling, however, the sense of attraction immensely prevailed.
In a Glass Darkly, v. 3/3|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for ambiguous

ambiguous

/ (æmˈbɪɡjʊəs) /

adjective

having more than one possible interpretation or meaning

difficult to understand or classify; obscure

Derived forms of ambiguous

ambiguously, 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

单词	ambiguous
释义	ambiguous [ am-big-yoo-uhs ] / æmˈbɪg yu əs / SEE 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 First recorded in 1480–1500; from Latin ambiguus, equivalent to ambig(ere) “to dispute, contend; be undecided, doubt” (from ambi- prefix meaning “both, around” + -igere combining form of agere “to drive, lead, act”) +-uus adjective suffix; see origin at ambi-; see -ous SYNONYMS FOR ambiguous 3 dubious, vague, indeterminate, problematic; unclassifiable, anomalous. 4 puzzling, enigmatic. SEE SYNONYMS FOR ambiguous ON THESAURUS.COM ANTONYMS FOR ambiguous 1 explicit. 3 certain. 4 clear, precise, unambiguous. SEE ANTONYMS FOR ambiguous ON THESAURUS.COM synonym study for ambiguous 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. OTHER WORDS FROM ambiguous am·big·u·ous·ly, adverbam·big·u·ous·ness, nounun·am·big·u·ous, adjective WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ambiguous ambiguous , ambivalent Words nearby ambiguous ambient air standard, ambiente, ambient music, ambient noise, ambiguity, ambiguous, ambiguous external genitalia, ambiguous nucleus, ambilateral, ambilevous, ambiophony Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020 Example sentences from the Web for ambiguous The question was ambiguous as stated, so I gave credit for both answers. The Fifth Battle For Riddler Nation\|Zach Wissner-Gross\|September 4, 2020\|FiveThirtyEight Such questions routinely prompt ambiguous and gendered responses. How to be a fair-pay CEO\|matthewheimer\|August 25, 2020\|Fortune Finally, as some readers observed, the original puzzle was slightly ambiguous as written. Can You Reach The Beach?\|Zach Wissner-Gross\|August 7, 2020\|FiveThirtyEight In those ambiguous cases, mathematicians have additional tools at their disposal. The ‘Useless’ Perspective That Transformed Mathematics\|Kevin Hartnett\|June 9, 2020\|Quanta Magazine We can only speculate as to the intentions behind these ambiguous words. Is Pope Francis Backpedaling on Gays?\|Jay Michaelson\|November 19, 2014\|DAILY BEAST 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\|DAILY BEAST “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\|DAILY BEAST 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\|DAILY BEAST 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\|DAILY BEAST Her emotions were too definite to find solacing outline in ambiguous pirouettes. Gargoyles\|Ben Hecht The truth was that the position of this grave and still comely woman was ambiguous. With Edged Tools\|Henry Seton Merriman Ambiguous as this reply may be considered, it encouraged the cherished hope that her husband would be restored to her. George Cruikshank's Omnibus\|George Cruikshank Henry and his brothers were, however, compelled in 1572 to sign an ambiguous assent to this agreement. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6\|Various In this ambiguous feeling, however, the sense of attraction immensely prevailed. In a Glass Darkly, v. 3/3\|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu British Dictionary definitions for ambiguous ambiguous / (æmˈbɪɡjʊəs) / adjective having more than one possible interpretation or meaning difficult to understand or classify; obscure Derived forms of ambiguous ambiguously, 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 Content related to ambiguous “Ambiguous” vs. “Ambivalent”Ambiguous and ambivalent share the Latin prefix ambi-, which means "both," so it is easy to see how they can be mixed up. However, the duality pertains to very different things. READ MORE Words related to ambiguous enigmatic, questionable, unclear, uncertain, puzzling, equivocal, opaque, inconclusive, dubious, cryptic, obscure, vague, doubtful, indefinite, indeterminate, muddy, tenebrous, unintelligible, inexplicit, enigmatical
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ambiguous

adjective

Origin of ambiguous

SYNONYMS FOR ambiguous

ANTONYMS FOR ambiguous

synonym study for ambiguous

OTHER WORDS FROM ambiguous

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ambiguous

Words nearby ambiguous

Example sentences from the Web for ambiguous

British Dictionary definitions for ambiguous

adjective

Derived forms of ambiguous

Word Origin for ambiguous

Content related to ambiguous

Words related to ambiguous