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ambiguity

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.
am·bi·gu·i·ty  (mb-gy-t)
n. pl. am·bi·gu·i·ties
1. Doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation: "leading a life of alleged moral ambiguity" (Anatole Broyard).
2. Something of doubtful meaning: a poem full of ambiguities.

ambiguity
Noun
pl -ties
1. the possibility of interpreting an expression in more than one way
2. an ambiguous situation or expression: the ambiguities of feminine identity
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.ambiguity - an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context
loophole - an ambiguity (especially one in the text of a law or contract) that makes it possible to evade a difficulty or obligation
amphibology, amphiboly - an ambiguous grammatical construction; e.g., `they are flying planes' can mean either that someone is flying planes or that something is flying planes
parisology - the use of ambiguous words
double entendre - an ambiguity with one interpretation that is indelicate
locution, saying, expression - a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations; "pardon the expression"
2.ambiguity - unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning
unclearness - incomprehensibility as a result of not being clear
evasiveness, prevarication, equivocation - intentionally vague or ambiguous
lexical ambiguity, polysemy - the ambiguity of an individual word or phrase that can be used (in different contexts) to express two or more different meanings
twilight zone, no man's land - the ambiguous region between two categories or states or conditions (usually containing some features of both); "but there is still a twilight zone, the tantalizing occurrences that are probably noise but might possibly be a signal"; "in the twilight zone between humor and vulgarity"; "in that no man's land between negotiation and aggression"
unambiguity, unequivocalness - clarity achieved by the avoidance of ambiguity

ambiguity
Translations
ambiguity [æmbɪˈgjuɪtɪ] nambigüedad f [of meaning] → doble sentido
ambiguity [æmbɪˈgjuɪtɪ] nambiguïté f
ambiguity [æmbɪˈgjuɪtɪ] nZweideutigkeit f;
(lack of clarity) → Unklarheit f
ambiguity [æmbɪˈgjuɪtɪ] nambiguità f inv


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The consciousness of good intentions disdains ambiguity.
Or again, by ambiguity of meaning,--as {pi alpha rho omega chi eta kappa epsilon nu / delta epsilon / pi lambda epsilon omega / nu upsilon xi}, where the word {pi lambda epsilon omega} is ambiguous.
The sums are the scoundrel's share, and where he feared an ambiguity, you see he added something clearer.
 
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