Ambiguousness

am·big·u·ous  (m-bgy-s)

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.

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

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am·bigu·ous·ly adv.

am·bigu·ous·ness n.

Synonyms: ambiguous, equivocal, obscure, recondite, abstruse, vague, cryptic, enigmatic
These adjectives mean lacking clarity of meaning. Ambiguous indicates the presence of two or more possible meanings: Frustrated by ambiguous instructions, I was unable to assemble the toy.
Something equivocal is unclear or misleading: "The polling had a complex and equivocal message for potential female candidates" David S. Broder.
Obscure implies lack of clarity of expression: Some say that Kafka's style is obscure and complex.
Recondite and abstruse connote the erudite obscurity of the scholar: "some recondite problem in historiography" Walter Laqueur. The students avoided the professor's abstruse lectures.
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.
Cryptic suggests a sometimes deliberately puzzling terseness: The new insurance policy is full of cryptic terms.
Something enigmatic is mysterious and puzzling: The biography struggles to make sense of the artist's enigmatic life.