ambiguousness

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am·big·u·ous

(ăm-bĭg′yo͞o-əs)

adj.

1. Open to more than one interpretation: an ambiguous reply.

2. Doubtful or uncertain: "The theatrical status of her frequently derided but constantly revived plays remained ambiguous" (Frank Rich).

[From Latin ambiguus, uncertain, from ambigere, to go about : amb-, ambi-, around; see ambi- + agere, to drive; see ag- in Indo-European roots.]

am·big′u·ous·ly adv.

am·big′u·ous·ness n.

Synonyms: ambiguous, equivocal, vague
These adjectives mean lacking clarity, especially by being open to a variety of interpretations. Ambiguous indicates the presence of two or more possible meanings: "It was impossible to tell from his ambiguous expression whether he knew what was happening" (Paul Theroux).
Something equivocal is unclear or misleading: "The polling had a complex and equivocal message for potential female candidates" (David S. Broder).
What is vague is expressed in indefinite form or reflects imprecision of thought: "Vague ... forms of speech ... have so long passed for mysteries of science" (John Locke).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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ambiguousness

noun

The quality or state of being ambiguous:

ambiguity, cloudiness, equivocalness, indefiniteness, nebulousness, obscureness, obscurity, uncertainty, unclearness, vagueness.

Translations

ambiguousness

[æmˈbɪgjʊəsnɪs] N → ambigüedad f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ambiguousness

n → Zwei- or Doppeldeutigkeit f; (= with many possible meanings) → Mehr- or Vieldeutigkeit f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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