ambiguity

ambiguity — noun

1. the quality a piece of writing, speech, or situation has when it can be read in

1.nounC2
Definition

the quality a piece of writing, speech, or situation has when it can be read in two or more different ways, often leaving the reader or listener unsure which is meant.

Example

The ambiguity in the new tax law has left small business owners unsure how much to pay.

ambiguity in + noun phrase

Lawyers spent hours debating the ambiguity of the phrase "reasonable effort" in the contract.

the ambiguity of + quoted phrase

Common collocations
  • legal ambiguity
  • moral ambiguity
  • ambiguity in the wording
  • remove all ambiguity
  • leave no ambiguity
Synonyms
  • vagueness

    lack of clear detail; ambiguity is specifically about more than one possible meaning

  • obscurity

    more about being hard to understand; less about competing meanings

  • uncertainty

    wider — covers doubt about facts or outcomes, not just wording

Antonyms
  • clarity

    the quality of being easy to understand with one clear meaning

  • precision

    exact, narrow wording that leaves no room for second readings

Grammar Patterns

ambiguity in [something]

ambiguity about [something]

Usage Note

Often paired with verbs like 'remove', 'avoid', 'create', or 'resolve', and with prepositions 'in' (ambiguity in the wording) and 'about' (ambiguity about the rules). Frequently uncountable, but takes 'an' when pointing to a single instance.

Common Mistakes

The contract has many ambiguity.
The contract has many ambiguities.
when counting separate cases, use the plural 'ambiguities'.
There is ambiguity for the deadline.
There is ambiguity about the deadline.
the usual preposition is 'about' or 'in', not 'for'.

2. a particular word, sentence, or remark that opens itself to two or more readings

2.nounC2
Definition

a particular word, sentence, or remark that opens itself to two or more readings — for example, the word 'bank' standing alone, which could mean either a riverside or a place that holds money.

Example

The professor asked us to find three ambiguities in the opening chapter of the novel.

countable plural use

"Visiting relatives can be boring" is a classic ambiguity that puzzles English students.

[X] is a classic ambiguity

Common collocations
  • spot an ambiguity
  • find ambiguities
  • a classic ambiguity
  • structural ambiguity
  • lexical ambiguity
Synonyms
  • double meaning

    everyday phrase for the same idea — usually a deliberate joke or pun

  • equivocation

    an ambiguous statement, often used on purpose to avoid commitment

Grammar Patterns

an ambiguity in [text]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names a concrete textual item you can point to and count (an ambiguity, three ambiguities), whereas sense 1 is the abstract quality. Most common in linguistics, literature, and legal drafting.

Common Mistakes

This sentence is a ambiguity.
This sentence is an ambiguity.
'ambiguity' starts with a vowel sound, so use 'an'.

Word family

  • ambiguous
    adjectiveC1
  • ambiguously
    adverbC2
  • unambiguous
    adjectiveC2
  • unambiguously
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words point to something that is not fully clear, but they pick out different problems. 'Ambiguity' is specific: a word, sentence, or situation can be read in two or more different ways, and the reader cannot tell which is meant. 'Vagueness' is about missing detail — saying 'soon' instead of 'by Friday at noon' — rather than competing meanings. 'Obscurity' suggests the meaning is hard to reach at all, often because of difficult language or hidden references. 'Uncertainty' is the broadest: it covers doubt about facts, plans, or outcomes, not only about words. So a contract clause that could mean either of two things has an ambiguity; a clause that says 'a fair price' is vague; a clause written in dense legal jargon is obscure; and not knowing whether the deal will close is uncertainty.

ambiguity ↗vaguenessobscurityuncertainty ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • legal ambiguity
  • moral ambiguity
  • lexical ambiguity
  • structural ambiguity

Adverbs

  • deliberately ambiguous
  • deeply ambiguous

Phrases

  • remove all ambiguity
  • leave no ambiguity
  • create unnecessary ambiguity
  • resolve the ambiguity

Prepositions

  • ambiguity in
  • ambiguity about
  • ambiguity over

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

English borrowed 'ambiguity' in the late 1300s from Old French 'ambiguite', which itself came from the Latin noun 'ambiguitas'. The Latin form was built on the verb 'ambigere', meaning to wander around or go two ways at once — a compound of 'ambi-' (both, on both sides) and 'agere' (to drive, lead, go). The image is of a meaning that could move in either direction, which is exactly what the modern English word still captures.