ambiguity

[am-bi-gyoo-i-tee]

noun

plural

ambiguities 

1. doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention.

   to speak with ambiguity;

   an ambiguity of manner.

   Synonyms: deceptiveness, vagueness
   Antonyms: clarity, explicitness

2. an unclear, indefinite, or equivocal word, expression, meaning, etc..

   a contract free of ambiguities;

   the ambiguities of modern poetry.

   Synonyms: equivocation

ambiguity

/ ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːɪtɪ /

noun

1. the possibility of interpreting an expression in two or more distinct ways

2. an instance of this, as in the sentence they are cooking apples

3. vagueness or uncertainty of meaning

   there are several ambiguities in the situation

Other Word Forms

• nonambiguity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ambiguity¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English ambiguite, from Latin ambiguitās, equivalent to ambigu(us) ambiguous ( def. ) + -itās -ity ( def. )

Example Sentences

“They deal in quiet emotion, pain, moral ambiguity and slow-burn tension, and that doesn’t always sit easily with people.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The policy change would "provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations," the spokesperson added.

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The so-called Rashomon Effect has been used in cinema and television to enhance a mood of ambiguity, with a character’s recollection of events qualified as subjective, and not objective truth.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"For a market addicted to ambiguity, that's the perfect cocktail -- one part anxiety, one part relief, stirred, not shaken."

Read more on Barron's

Tax Court routinely adjudicates highly technical disputes between taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service, clarifying ambiguities in law and practice through published opinions.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• doubt 
• uncertainty 
• vagueness