Ambiguous
/æmˈbɪɡjuəs/
adjectiveB2
Definition
Ambiguous describes words, sentences, or situations that are unclear because they can be understood in different ways. When something is ambiguous, it is not easy to know exactly what it means or what is happening because the meaning is open to more than one interpretation.
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⚡ See It in Action
Having more than one possible meaning, causing confusion
- •The word "bat" is ambiguous because it can mean an animal or a sports tool.
- •His answer was ambiguous, so nobody knew what he really wanted.
- •The instructions were ambiguous and led to mistakes.
Unclear or uncertain in meaning or intention
- •The politician gave an ambiguous statement to avoid taking a clear position.
- •The ending of the movie was ambiguous, leaving viewers wondering what happened.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "ambiguous" like "unclear" but with more than one possible meaning, not just hard to see or understand
- ✓Picture a sign with two arrows pointing in different directions—it's unclear which way to go
- ✓It's the feeling when someone says something and you are not sure what they really mean
- ✓Sounds like "am-BIG-you-us" → imagine a big question mark that covers many ideas at once, making it hard to decide
- ✓Imagine a story with a mysterious ending where you don't know what really happened—this is ambiguous
- ✓NOT like "clear" (easy to understand), ambiguous means the opposite—there is more than one meaning
- ✓NOT like "vague" (unclear because of missing details), ambiguous means there are clear but multiple meanings
- ✓NOT like "confused" (feeling), ambiguous is about the meaning itself, not just how you feel
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Unclear: not easy to understand (Use when the meaning is not clear because of lack of information)
- •Vague: not detailed or precise (Use when information is incomplete or not exact)
- •Confusing: causing difficulty to understand (Use when something makes you feel unsure or puzzled)
- •Uncertain: not sure or definite (Use when the situation or meaning is not fixed or decided)
🔍 Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "ambi-" (both, two) + root "guous" from Latin "ambiguus" meaning doubtful or uncertain
- •Etymology: From Latin "ambiguus," meaning "having double meaning or uncertain"
- •Historical development: First used in English in the 1600s to describe words or situations with double or unclear meanings
- •Modern usage: Used to describe anything that is unclear because it has more than one meaning or interpretation
💭 Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time when something was ambiguous and caused a problem? How did you solve it?
•How can writers or speakers avoid being ambiguous to make their meaning clear?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.The message was ambiguous because it could ___ two very different ideas.
2.When instructions are ambiguous, people often ___ mistakes.
3.Unlike clear directions, ambiguous statements leave ___ about what to do next.
4.The word "bank" is ambiguous since it can mean a place for money or the side of a river, showing ___ meanings.
5.Politicians sometimes use ambiguous language to avoid ___ a direct answer.
6.Ambiguous phrases often require ___ to understand the true meaning.
7.If a question is ambiguous, you might ___ what the person really wants to know.