ambiguous

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /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. (obsolete, of persons) Hesitant; uncertain; not taking sides.
   • 1662 Thomas Salusbury

     And forasmuch as in this same question I am ambiguous, and Simplicius is resolute....

Synonyms

• equivocal

Antonyms

• unambiguous
• precise

Related terms

• ambiguity
• ambiguate
• ambiguation
• disambiguation

Translations

open to multiple interpretations

• Albanian: i dykuptueshëm
• Arabic: غامض‏‎
• Armenian: երկիմաստ (hy) (erkimast)
• Asturian: ambiguu
• Bulgarian: двусмислен (bg) (dvusmislen)
• Catalan: ambigu (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 模稜兩可 (zh), 模稜两可 (zh) (móléng liǎngkě)

• Czech: mnohoznačný m
• Danish: tvetydig (da), flertydig (da), dobbelttydig
• Dutch: meerduidig (nl), dubbelzinnig (nl), ambigu (nl)
• Finnish: tulkinnanvarainen
• French: ambigu (fr)
• Galician: ambiguo
• Georgian: ორაზროვანი (orazrovani)
• German: mehrdeutig (de) (doppeldeutig (de), zweideutig (de))
• Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} többértelmű, ^{(please verify)} kétértelmű (hu), ^{(please verify)} nem egyértelmű
• Icelandic: óskýr
• Indonesian: rancu (id), kabur (id)

• Italian: ambiguo (it) m
• Japanese: 曖昧な (ja) (aimai na)
• Korean: 모호한 (mohohan)
• Latin: (amphibologice)
• Macedonian: двосмислен m (dvosmislen)
• Maori: rangirua
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: flertydig, tvetydig (no)
• Polish: wieloznaczny, dwuznaczny (pl)
• Portuguese: ambíguo (pt), dúbio (pt)
• Romanian: ambiguu (ro), cu multe sensuri
• Russian: двусмы́сленный (ru) (dvusmýslennyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: višeznačan (sh) m, dvosmislen (sh) m
• Spanish: ambiguo (es)
• Swedish: tvetydig (sv), dubbeltydig (sv), (osäker (sv))
• Tagalog: talohimig, taluhimig
• Thai: คลุมเครือ (klum kreua)
• Turkish: belirsiz (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

vague and unclear

• Bulgarian: неясен (bg) (nejasen)
• Catalan: ambigu (ca)
• Danish: dunkel (da), forblommet
• Dutch: vaag (nl), onduidelijk (nl), ambigu (nl)
• Finnish: epäselvä (fi), moniselitteinen
• French: ambigu (fr) m
• Galician: ambiguo
• German: unklar (de), vage (de)
• Hungarian: félreérthető (hu)

• Japanese: 曖昧な (ja) (aimai na)
• Macedonian: нејасен m (néjasen)
• Norwegian: vag, uklar (no)
• Portuguese: ambíguo (pt), dúbio (pt), vago (pt), indefinido (pt), impreciso (pt)
• Serbo-Croatian: nejasan (sh) m
• Spanish: ambiguo (es)
• Swedish: vag (sv), dunkel (sv), svävande (sv)
• Vietnamese: mơ hồ (vi)

See also

• contradictory
• mistakable
• confusing

Further reading

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

References

• “ambiguous” in John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors, The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989, ISBN 978-0-19-861186-8.