What does ambiguous mean?
Definitions for ambiguous
æmˈbɪg yu əsam·bigu·ous
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word ambiguous.
Princeton's WordNet
equivocal, ambiguousadjective
open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead
"an equivocal statement"; "the polling had a complex and equivocal (or ambiguous) message for potential female candidates"; "the officer's equivocal behavior increased the victim's uneasiness"; "popularity is an equivocal crown"; "an equivocal response to an embarrassing question"
ambiguousadjective
having more than one possible meaning
"ambiguous words"; "frustrated by ambiguous instructions, the parents were unable to assemble the toy"
ambiguousadjective
having no intrinsic or objective meaning; not organized in conventional patterns
"an ambiguous situation with no frame of reference"; "ambiguous inkblots"
Wiktionary
ambiguousadjective
Open to multiple interpretations.
The politician was criticized for his ambiguous statements and lack of precision.
ambiguousadjective
Vague and unclear.
He gave an ambiguous answer.
ambiguousadjective
Of persons: hesitant; uncertain; not taking sides.
Thomas Salusbury (1662): And forasmuch as in this same question I am ambiguous, and Simplicius is resolute....
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
AMBIGUOUSadjective
Etymology: ambiguus, Lat.
But what have been thy answers, what but dark,
Ambiguous, and with doubtful sense deluding. Par. Regain.Some expressions in the covenant were ambiguous, and were left so; because the persons who framed them, were not all of one mind. Edward Hyde, b. viii.
Th’ ambiguous god, who rul’d her lab’ring breast,
In these mysterious words his mind exprest;
Some truths reveal’d, in terms involv’d the rest. Dryd.Silence at length the gay Antinous broke,
Constrain’d a smile, and thus ambiguous spoke. Alexander Pope, Odyss.
Wikipedia
ambiguous
Ambiguity is the type of meaning in which a phrase, statement or resolution is not explicitly defined, making several interpretations plausible. A common aspect of ambiguity is uncertainty. It is thus an attribute of any idea or statement whose intended meaning cannot be definitively resolved, according to a rule or process with a finite number of steps. (The ambi- part of the term reflects an idea of "two," as in "two meanings.") The concept of ambiguity is generally contrasted with vagueness. In ambiguity, specific and distinct interpretations are permitted (although some may not be immediately obvious), whereas with information that is vague, it is difficult to form any interpretation at the desired level of specificity.
Webster Dictionary
Ambiguousadjective
doubtful or uncertain, particularly in respect to signification; capable of being understood in either of two or more possible senses; equivocal; as, an ambiguous course; an ambiguous expression
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Ambiguous
am-big′ū-us, adj. of doubtful signification: indistinct: wavering or uncertain: equivocal.—n. Ambigū′ity, uncertainty or dubiousness of meaning—also Ambig′uousness.—adv. Ambig′uously. [L. ambiguus—ambigĕre, to go about—ambi, about, agĕre, to drive.]
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of ambiguous in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of ambiguous in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Examples of ambiguous in a Sentence
This term about grams of sugar is so ambiguous. We try converting it into teaspoons so that people can really understand and see what a teaspoon is. So if you see on the back of a juice 20 grams [of sugar], divide that by four, and you know there's 5 teaspoons of sugar in that juice packet, and you'd never put 5 teaspoons in your cup of tea for your child, yet you'd give it in a juice quite easily. So people need to know that.
It's just a factual statement that is factually wrong, i mean there are many things you can debate in the Constitution because they're ambiguous. This is not one of those things that is ambiguous.
A doorway is an ambiguous phenomenon, a liminal spot in a person’s life. A door can be a choice, a possibility, a protection or an aperture to new-fangled values. It can mean a barrier, a prison or a gate to freedom. It can, however, vanish in the mist of unawareness by lack of social concern. At that moment, our freedom has become our jail and we feel locked up in our own liberty. Any exit has waned: the doorway has been absorbed in the stupor of our infatuation. ( “In the doorway” )
Everything now depends on implementation - the text was worded in a very ambiguous way.
The bill is so ambiguous and so vague that doctors can not be certain what medical circumstances would be considered ‘ necessary to preserve the life of the mother, ’.
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Translations for ambiguous
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- غامضArabic
- неясен, двусмисленBulgarian
- ambiguCatalan, Valencian
- mnohoznačnýCzech
- dobbelttydig, dunkel, forblommet, tvetydig, flertydigDanish
- doppeldeutig, vage, unklar, mehrdeutig, zweideutigGerman
- ambiguoSpanish
- مبهمPersian
- epäselvä, moniselitteinen, tulkinnanvarainenFinnish
- ambiguFrench
- ambiguoGalician
- félreérthetőHungarian
- երկիմաստArmenian
- kabur, rancuIndonesian
- óskýrIcelandic
- ambiguoItalian
- 曖昧な, 曖昧Japanese
- ორაზროვანიGeorgian
- amphibologiceLatin
- rangiruaMāori
- нејасен, двосмисленMacedonian
- dubbelzinnig, vaag, ambigu, onduidelijkDutch
- uklar, flertydig, vag, tvetydigNorwegian
- wieloznaczny, dwuznacznyPolish
- vago, indefinido, impreciso, ambíguo, dúbioPortuguese
- cu multe sensuri, ambiguuRomanian
- двусмысленныйRussian
- dvosmislen, nejasan, višeznačanSerbo-Croatian
- i dykuptueshëmAlbanian
- tvetydig, dubbeltydig, osäker, svävande, dunkel, vagSwedish
- คลุมเครือThai
- malaboTagalog
- belirsizTurkish
- مبہمUrdu
- 模糊的Chinese
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"ambiguous." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 3 Feb. 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/ambiguous>.
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