ambiguity

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English ambiguite, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French ambiguite (French ambiguïté), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin ambiguitas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æmbɪˈɡjuːɪti/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

ambiguity (countable and uncountable, plural ambiguities)

1. (countable) Something, particularly words and sentences, that is open to more than one interpretation, explanation or meaning, if that meaning etc 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.

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

• unambiguity

Related terms

• ambiguous

Translations

something liable to more than one interpretation

• Arabic: اِلْتِبَاس m (iltibās)
• 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, 模棱两可的词句 (móléngliǎngkě de cíjù), 有歧義的詞句／有歧义的词句, 有歧义的词句 (yǒu qíyì de cíjù), 雙關語／双关语 (zh) (shuāngguānyǔ), 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 f, Vieldeutigkeit f, Doppelsinnigkeit f, Uneindeutigkeit (de) f, Doppelbödigkeit f, Doppelsinn m, Polysemie (de) f, Ambivalenz (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἀμφιβολία f (amphibolía)

• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} דּוּ-מַשְׁמָעוּת
• Hungarian: kétértelműség (hu), félreérthetőség (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingue:
• Italian: ambiguità (it) f
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} あいまいさ
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Luxembourgish: Ambiguitéit f
• Macedonian: двосми́сленост f (dvosmíslenost), не́јасност f (néjasnost)
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tvetydighet (no) m or f

• Persian: گنگی (fa) (gungi)
• 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

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

• Spanish: ambigüedad (es) f
• Thai: ความกำกวม (kwaam gamguam)
• Turkish: muğlâlık
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can