VOOZH about

URL: https://www.wordreference.com/definition/ambiguous

⇱ ambiguous - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

ambiguous

Listen:
UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/æmˈbɪgjuəs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/æmˈbɪgjuəs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(am big′yo̅o̅ əs)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
am•big•u•ous /æmˈbɪgyuəs/USA pronunciation   adj. 
  1. open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations: He gave an ambiguous answer to that question.
  2. doubtful;
    uncertain:in an ambiguous position.
am•big•u•ous•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
am•big•u•ous  (am big′yo̅o̅ əs),USA pronunciation adj. 
  1. open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations;
    equivocal:an ambiguous answer.
  2. Linguistics(of an expression) exhibiting constructional homonymity;
    having two or more structural descriptions, as the sequence Flying planes can be dangerous.
  3. of doubtful or uncertain nature;
    difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify:a rock of ambiguous character.
  4. lacking clearness or definiteness;
    obscure;
    indistinct:an ambiguous shape; an ambiguous future.
  • Latin ambiguus, equivalent. to ambig(ere) be uncertain (amb- ambi- + -igere combining form of agere to drive, lead, act) + -uus deverbal adjective, adjectival suffix; see -ous
  • 1520–30
am•big′u•ous•ly, adv. 
am•big′u•ous•ness, n. 
    1. ambiguous, equivocal, cryptic, enigmatic describe conditions or statements not clear in meaning. ambiguous can refer to a statement, act, or attitude that is capable of two or more often contradictory interpretations, usually accidentally or unintentionally so:an ambiguous passage in the preamble.equivocal, usually applied to spoken as well as written language, also means susceptible of two or more interpretations, and it usually suggests a deliberate intent to mislead by avoiding clarity:saving face with an equivocal response to an embarrassing question.cryptic usually refers to intentional obscurity, especially in language, and often implies a private or hidden meaning but stresses resultant mystification or puzzlement:a cryptic remark that left us struggling to interpret his intention.enigmatic focuses on perplexity resulting from a mysterious or imponderable event or utterance, often one of great importance or deep significance:prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries. 3. dubious, vague, indeterminate, unclassifiable, anomalous. 4. puzzling, enigmatic, problematic.
    1. explicit. 3. certain. 4. clear, precise, unambiguous.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
ambiguous /æmˈbɪɡjʊəs/ adj
  1. having more than one possible interpretation or meaning
  2. difficult to understand or classify; obscure
Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin ambiguus going here and there, uncertain, from ambigere to go around, from ambi- + agere to lead, actamˈbiguously adv amˈbiguousness n
'ambiguous' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "ambiguous" in the title:

[ambiguous?] How does Tom feel about his boss
5 monkeys take 5 minutes to eat 5 bananas [ambiguous?]
a teddy with a T-shirt that says OK - ambiguous?
About ambiguous use of interrogative sentences
Adverb clause modifier is ambiguous?
ambiguous
ambiguous
ambiguous
Ambiguous adjective order?
Ambiguous and confusing sentence structure
Ambiguous antecedent in participial structure/phrase
ambiguous expressions
Ambiguous functions of infinitives
Ambiguous functions of to-infinitive
Ambiguous Gerund/Present Participle Examples
"ambiguous is" or "is ambiguous" - word order
Ambiguous personal pronoun?
ambiguous pronoun
Ambiguous referent?
ambiguous relationship
ambiguous relative clause
Ambiguous sentence
ambiguous sentence , ing form
Ambiguous sentence?
ambiguous sentences
ambiguous sentences?
Ambiguous "she" in journalistic English
ambiguous spoken English
ambiguous structure
ambiguous subject - is/are
more...

Look up "ambiguous" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "ambiguous" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!
Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.
Firefox users: use search shortcuts for the fastest search of WordReference.
Copyright © 2026 WordReference.com
Please report any problems.