ambiguity
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ambiguity
- /æm.bɪˈɡjuː.ɪ.ti/ UK
- /æm.bɪˈɡjuː.ə.ti/ UK
- /æm.bɪˈɡju.ɪ.ti/ Canada, US
- [æm.bɪˈɡju.ɪ.ɾi] Canada, US
- /æm.bɪˈɡju.ə.ti/ Canada, US
- [æm.bɪˈɡju.ə.ɾi] Canada, US
- [ˌɛəm.bɪˈɡju.ə.ti] Canada, US
- /ˌæm.bəˈɡju.ə.ti/
- [æm.bəˈɡju.ə.ɾi]
- /æm.bɪˈɡjʉː.ɪ.ti/ Australia
- [æm.bɪˈɡjʉː.ɪ.ɾi] Australia
Rhymes with -uːɪti
Where it comes from
From Middle English ambiguite, from Old French ambiguite (French ambiguïté), from Latin ambiguitas, equivalent to ambiguous + -ity.
noun ambiguities
-
The state of being ambiguous; the state of leaving room for more than one interpretation.
His speech was made with such great ambiguity that neither supporter nor opponent could be certain of his true position.
Similar: ambiguousness, imprecision, polysemy
- An instance of this state: words or statements that are open to more than one interpretation, explanation or meaning, especially if that meaning cannot be determined from the context. If two persons bore the same name, and confusion was likely to be caused, ambiguity was avoided by adding the name of the father[…]
Similar: weasel word · Opposite: unambiguity
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: equivocalness, ambivalence, doublespeak, equivocation, mystique, ambiguous, mystery, mysterious, duplicity, uncertainty, vagueness, doubt, clarity, controversy, inaccuracy, imprecision
noun
Similar: weasel word · Opposite: unambiguity
Translations
Every language
noun something liable to more than one interpretation
| Español | ambigüedad |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 애매모호 aemaemoho |
| 中文 | 模棱兩可的詞句 /模棱两可的词句 móléngliǎngkě de cíjù, 有歧義的詞句 /有歧义的词句 yǒu qíyì de cíjù, 雙關語 /双关语 shuāngguānyǔ |
| Português | ambiguidade |
| Français | ambiguïté |
| Deutsch | Ambiguität, Mehrdeutigkeit, Doppeldeutigkeit, Zweideutigkeit, Vieldeutigkeit, Doppelsinnigkeit |
| Italiano | ambiguità, dubbio |
| Ελληνικά | ασάφεια asáfeia, αμφισημία amfisimía |
| Română | ambiguitate |
| Русский | двусмы́сленность dvusmýslennostʹ, нея́сность nejásnostʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | sự tối nghĩa, sự mơ hồ |
| العربية | اِلْتِبَاس iltibās, إِبْهَام ʔibhām |
Talk about this word "ambiguity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ambiguity. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ambiguity. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ambiguity "ambiguity." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ambiguity.Cite this
@misc{ambiguity_2026,
title = {ambiguity},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ambiguity},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
