ambiguous

English

Etymology

From Latin ambiguus (“moving from side to side, of doubtful nature”), from ambigere (“to go about, wander, doubt”), from ambi- (“around”) + agere (“to drive, move”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /æmˈbɪɡjuəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

ambiguous (comparative more ambiguous, superlative most ambiguous)

1. Open to multiple interpretations.

   The politician was criticized for his ambiguous statements and lack of precision.

2. Vague and unclear.

   He gave an ambiguous answer.

3. Of persons: hesitant; uncertain; not taking sides.

   Thomas Salusbury (1662): And forasmuch as in this same question I am ambiguous, and Simplicius is resolute....

Synonyms

• equivocal

Antonyms

• unambiguous
• specifically defined
• precise

Related terms

• ambiguity
• ambiguate
• ambiguation
• disambiguation

Translations

open to multiple interpretations

Albanian: i dykuptueshëm a Arabic: غامض (ar) Bulgarian: двусмислен (bg) Catalan: ambigu (ca) Chinese: 模稜兩可, 模稜两可 (móléng liǎngkě) Croatian: višeznačan (hr) m., dvosmislen (hr) m. Czech: mnohoznačný (cs) m. Danish: tvetydig (da), flertydig (da), dobbelttydig (da) Dutch: dubbelzinnig (nl), ambigu (nl) Filipino: malabo Finnish: tulkinnanvarainen French: ambigu (fr) German: mehrdeutig, doppeldeutig Hungarian: többértelmű, kétértelmű (hu), nem egyértelmű

Icelandic: óskýr (is) m. and f., óskýrt (is) n. Indonesian: rancu, kabur Italian: ambiguo (it) m. Japanese: あいまいな (aimai na) Macedonian: двосмислен (mk) (dvósmislen) m. Norwegian: flertydig (no), tvetydig (no) Polish: wieloznaczny, dwuznaczny Portuguese: ambíguo (pt), dúbio (pt) Romanian: ambiguu (ro), cu multe sensuri (ro) Russian: двусмысленный (ru) (dvusmýslennyj) Spanish: ambiguo (es) Swedish: tvetydig (sv), dubbeltydig (sv), (osäker (sv)) Turkish: belirsiz (tr)

vague and unclear

Bulgarian: неясен (bg) Catalan: ambigu (ca) Croatian: nejasan (hr) m. Danish: dunkel (da), forblommet (da) Dutch: vaag (nl), onduidelijk (nl), ambigu (nl) Finnish: epäselvä (fi), moniselitteinen (fi) German: unklar (de), vage (de)

Hungarian: félreérthető (hu) Japanese: あいまいな (aimai na) Macedonian: нејасен (mk) (néjasen) m. Norwegian: vag (no), uklar (no) Portuguese: ambíguo, dúbio, vago, indefinido, impreciso Spanish: ambiguo (es) Swedish: vag (sv), dunkel (sv), svävande (sv)

See also

• contradictory

External links

• ambiguous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• ambiguous in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

References

• Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989