ambiguous
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
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[edit]
Adjective[edit]
ambiguous (comparative more ambiguous, superlative most ambiguous)
- Open to multiple interpretations.
- Synonym: equivocal
- Antonym: unambiguous
- The politician was criticized for his ambiguous statements and lack of precision.
- (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....
- 1662 Thomas Salusbury
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
open to multiple interpretations
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vague and unclear
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See also[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- “ambiguous” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- “ambiguous” in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
References[edit]
- John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “ambiguous”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂en-
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eǵ-
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 4-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with obsolete senses
- en:Ambiguity