ambiguity
Use Ambiguity in a sentence
bɪˈgyu noun, plural am·bi·gu·i·ties.
1.
doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention: to speak with ambiguity; an ambiguity of manner.
2.
an unclear, indefinite, or equivocal word, expression, meaning, etc.: a contract free of ambiguities; the ambiguities of modern poetry.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To ambiguity
00:10
Ambiguity
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is dissonance. Does it mean:
| willing to believe or trust too readily, esp. without proper or adequate evidence; gullible. |
| harsh sounding |
Collins
World English Dictionary
ambiguity (ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːɪtɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -ties | |
| 1. | the possibility of interpreting an expression in two or more distinct ways |
| 2. | an instance of this, as in the sentence they are cooking apples |
| 3. | vagueness or uncertainty of meaning: there are several ambiguities in the situation |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ambiguity
c.1400, from Fr. ambiguite or directly from M.L. ambiguitatem (nom. ambiguitas), noun of state from ambiguus (see ambiguous). Originally "uncertainty, doubt;" sense of "capability of having two meanings" is from early 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
ambiguity
use of words that allow alternative interpretations. In factual, explanatory prose, ambiguity is considered an error in reasoning or diction; in literary prose or poetry, it often functions to increase the richness and subtlety of language and to imbue it with a complexity that expands the literal meaning of the original statement. William Empson's Seven Types of Ambiguity (1930; rev. ed. 1953) remains a full and useful treatment of the subject
Learn more about ambiguity with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Around me, they feel no need to cower in corners faced with the ambiguity, general squishiness and uncertainty of biology.
For him the drama is in contrasts, the meaning in ambiguity.
But this may or may not be true—the narrative veers toward ambiguity.
The actual paper presumably would clear up this ambiguity.
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