ambiguity

English

Etymology

From Middle English ambiguite, from Old French ambiguite (French ambiguïté), from Latin ambiguitas, equivalent to ambiguous +‎ -ity.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æm.bɪˈɡjuː.ɪ.ti/
• (weak vowel merger) IPA^(key): /ˌæm.bəˈɡjuː.ə.ti/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːɪti
• Hyphenation: am‧bi‧gu‧i‧ty

Noun

ambiguity (countable and uncountable, plural ambiguities)

1. (countable) words or statements that are open to more than one interpretation, explanation or meaning, especially if that meaning cannot be determined from its context.

   His speech was made with such great ambiguity that neither supporter nor opponent could be certain of his true position.

2. (uncountable) The state of being ambiguous.
   • 1513, Henry Bradshaw, edited by Edward Hawkins, The Holy Lyfe and History of Saynt Werburge: Very Frutefull for All Christen People to Rede (Remains Historical & Literary Connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester Published by The Chetham Society; volume XV), […] The Chetham Society, published 1848:

     Whan this ſayd monument diſcouered was / Suche a ſuauite and fragrant odoure / Aſcended from the corps by ſingular grace / Paſſyng all worldly ſwetnes and ſauour / That all there present that day and hour / Suppoſed they had ben / in the felicite / Of erthely paradiſe / without ambiguite.

Synonyms

• (state of being ambiguous): ambiguousness, imprecision, polysemy
• weasel word

Antonyms

• unambiguity

Derived terms

• ambiguity aversion

 

Related terms

• ambiguous

Translations

something liable to more than one interpretation

• Afrikaans: dubbelsinnigheid n
• Arabic: اِلْتِبَاس m (iltibās), إِبْهَام (ar) m (ʔibhām)
• Armenian: երկիմաստություն (hy) (erkimastutʻyun), անորոշություն (hy) (anorošutʻyun), երկդիմություն (hy) (erkdimutʻyun)
• Asturian: ambigüedá f
• Catalan: ambigüitat f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 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 (zh) (shuāngguānyǔ) (ambiguous words/phrases)

• Czech: mnohoznačnost f, dvojsmysl m
• Danish: tvetydighed (da) c
• Dutch: dubbelzinnigheid (nl) f, ambiguïteit (nl) f
• Esperanto: dusencaĵo, ambiguo (eo)
• Finnish: monitulkintaisuus (fi), monimerkityksisyys (fi), ambiguiteetti
• French: ambiguïté (fr) f
• Galician: ambigüidade (gl) f
• Georgian: გაურკვევლობა (gaurḳvevloba), ორაზროვნება (orazrovneba)
• German: Ambiguität (de) f, Mehrdeutigkeit (de) f, Doppeldeutigkeit (de) f, Zweideutigkeit (de) f, Vieldeutigkeit f, Doppelsinnigkeit f, Uneindeutigkeit (de) f, Doppelbödigkeit f, Doppelsinn (de) m, Polysemie (de) f, Ambivalenz (de) f
• Greek: ασάφεια (el) f (asáfeia)

  Ancient: ἀμφιβολία f (amphibolía)

• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} דּוּ-מַשְׁמָעוּת
• Hungarian: kétértelműség (hu), félreérthetőség (hu)
• Italian: ambiguità (it) f, dubbio (it) m
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 曖昧さ (あいまいさ, aimaisa)
• Khmer: ភាពមិនច្បាស់លាស់ (phiəpmɨncbahlŏəh)
• Korean: 애매모호(曖昧模糊) (ko) (aemaemoho)
• Latin: ambiguitas f
• Luxembourgish: Ambiguitéit f
• Macedonian: двосми́сленост f (dvosmíslenost), не́јасност f (néjasnost)
• Mongolian: тодорхой бус байдал (todorxoj bus bajdal)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tvetydighet (no) m or f

• Persian: گنگی (fa) (gongi)
• Polish: wieloznaczność (pl) f
• Portuguese: ambiguidade (pt) f
• Romanian: ambiguitate (ro) f
• Russian: двусмы́сленность (ru) f (dvusmýslennostʹ), нея́сность (ru) f (nejásnostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: dà-sheaghachas m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: амбигвитет f, вишезначност f, двосмисленост f

  Roman: ambigvitet (sh), višeznačnost (sh), dvosmislenost (sh)

• Spanish: ambigüedad (es) f
• Swedish: tvetydighet (sv)
• Thai: ความกำกวม (th) (kwaam gamguam)
• Turkish: muğlâklık (tr) (archaic or juristic), ikircim (tr)
• Ukrainian: двозна́чність f (dvoznáčnistʹ), неоднозна́чність (uk) f (neodnoznáčnistʹ), нея́сність f (nejásnistʹ)
• Vietnamese: sự tối nghĩa, sự mơ hồ
• Welsh: amwysedd m