ambiguous

adjective

am·big·u·ous am-ˈbi-gyə-wəs How to pronounce ambiguous (audio)

: doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness

eyes of an ambiguous color

: inexplicable

: capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways

an ambiguous smile

an ambiguous term

a deliberately ambiguous reply

ambiguously adverb

ambiguousness noun

Example Sentences

Greater familiarity with this artist makes one's assessment of him more tentative rather than less. His best pictures exude a hypersensitive, ambiguous aura of grace.

Peter Schjeldahl, New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2003 He seeks sources for the speech's ideas in Lincoln's ambiguous stance toward organized religion, in the sermons of preachers he listened to, and in his Bible-reading habit.

Gilbert Taylor, Booklist, 15 Dec. 2001 In Mexico we follow the fraught, ambiguous journey of a Tijuana cop … caught between the ruthless, corrupt general … he works for and the DEA, which wants him to inform on his countrymen.

David Ansen, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2001 Physicians could manipulate reimbursement rules to help their patients obtain coverage for care that the physicians perceive to be necessary, for example, through ambiguous documentation or by exaggerating the severity of patients' conditions.

Michael K. Wynia et al., Journal of the American Medical Association, 12 Apr. 2000 We were confused by the ambiguous wording of the message. He looked at her with an ambiguous smile. Due to the ambiguous nature of the question, it was difficult to choose the right answer. the ambiguous position of women in modern society See More

Recent Examples on the Web The yellow pine was more ambiguous, dating to 1810 in the southeastern United States.

Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2022 But current facts are more ambiguous than the historical record.

William A. Galston, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022 But Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey gave a more ambiguous response when asked how the lack of a SALT deduction change would affect his vote.

Grace Segers, The New Republic, 28 July 2022 Moving forward, the world of work will be more flexible, more ambiguous, and a lot more complicated too.

William Arruda, Forbes, 19 July 2022 While Max’s fate was left more ambiguous, there’s nothing left up in the air about Eddie’s fate.

Zack Sharf, Variety, 11 July 2022 At other times, the singer’s positions seemed more ambiguous.

Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022 The ending of the film is far more ambiguous than the novel’s conclusion.

Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2022 That same day, Ally texted him a photo of two more ambiguous home pregnancy tests.

CBS News, 5 Mar. 2022 See More

ambiguous

adjective

as in cryptic

having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning the exact reason for the change in plans is ambiguous, but I suspect it has something to do with money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

cryptic
obscure
vague
dark
enigmatic
unclear
mysterious
murky
equivocal
mystic
nebulous
questionable
enigmatical
esoteric
inscrutable
uncertain
opaque
confusing
occult
complicated
arcane
deep
obscurant
weird
indistinct
undefined
elliptical
fuzzy
fuliginous
difficult
uncanny
double-edged
abstruse
eerie
hazy
undetermined
elliptic
incomprehensible
indirect
inexact
puzzling
complex
indefinite
Delphic
recondite
shadowy
inexplicable
disguised
perplexing
indecipherable
inexplicit
noncommittal
foggy
muddy
baffling
shrouded
clouded
indistinguishable
unknowable
bewildering
obfuscatory
concealed
faint
misty
confounding
shaded
cloaked
obtuse
unanswerable
invisible
intangible
masked
mystifying
cloudy
dim
beclouded
eery
impenetrable
sphinxlike
befogged
shadowlike
impalpable
obscurantic
unfathomable
inappreciable
circuitous
roundabout
bedimmed
obnubilated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unambiguous
obvious
clear
unequivocal
understandable
plain
accessible
distinct
comprehensible
intelligible
certain
legible
evident
knowable
strong
bright
sure
explicit
defined
nonambiguous
direct
straightforward
fathomable
determined
definite
pellucid
firm
exact
self-explanatory
visible
self-evident
tangible
appreciable
unmistakable
palpable
blatant
patent

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of ambiguous are cryptic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, obscure, and vague. While all these words mean "not clearly understandable," ambiguous applies to language capable of more than one interpretation.

an ambiguous directive

The words cryptic and ambiguous can be used in similar contexts, but cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning.

cryptic hints of hidden treasure

The words dark and ambiguous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dark implies an imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion.

muttered dark hints of revenge

The synonyms enigmatic and ambiguous are sometimes interchangeable, but enigmatic stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality.

enigmatic occult writings

While the synonyms equivocal and ambiguous are close in meaning, equivocal applies to language left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading.

moral precepts with equivocal phrasing

Although the words obscure and ambiguous have much in common, obscure implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some inadequacy of expression or withholding of full knowledge.

obscure poems

While in some cases nearly identical to ambiguous, vague implies a lack of clear formulation due to inadequate conception or consideration.

a vague sense of obligation

单词	ambiguous
释义	ambiguous adjective am·big·u·ous am-ˈbi-gyə-wəs 1 a : doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness eyes of an ambiguous color b : inexplicable 2 : capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways an ambiguous smile an ambiguous term a deliberately ambiguous reply ambiguously adverb ambiguousness noun Synonyms arcane cryptic dark deep Delphic double-edged elliptical elliptic enigmatic enigmatical equivocal fuliginous inscrutable murky mysterious mystic nebulous obscure occult opaque See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Greater familiarity with this artist makes one's assessment of him more tentative rather than less. His best pictures exude a hypersensitive, ambiguous aura of grace. Peter Schjeldahl, New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2003 He seeks sources for the speech's ideas in Lincoln's ambiguous stance toward organized religion, in the sermons of preachers he listened to, and in his Bible-reading habit. Gilbert Taylor, Booklist, 15 Dec. 2001 In Mexico we follow the fraught, ambiguous journey of a Tijuana cop … caught between the ruthless, corrupt general … he works for and the DEA, which wants him to inform on his countrymen. David Ansen, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2001 Physicians could manipulate reimbursement rules to help their patients obtain coverage for care that the physicians perceive to be necessary, for example, through ambiguous documentation or by exaggerating the severity of patients' conditions. Michael K. Wynia et al., Journal of the American Medical Association, 12 Apr. 2000 We were confused by the ambiguous wording of the message. He looked at her with an ambiguous smile. Due to the ambiguous nature of the question, it was difficult to choose the right answer. the ambiguous position of women in modern society See More Recent Examples on the Web The yellow pine was more ambiguous, dating to 1810 in the southeastern United States. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2022 But current facts are more ambiguous than the historical record. William A. Galston, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022 But Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey gave a more ambiguous response when asked how the lack of a SALT deduction change would affect his vote. Grace Segers, The New Republic, 28 July 2022 Moving forward, the world of work will be more flexible, more ambiguous, and a lot more complicated too. William Arruda, Forbes, 19 July 2022 While Max’s fate was left more ambiguous, there’s nothing left up in the air about Eddie’s fate. Zack Sharf, Variety, 11 July 2022 At other times, the singer’s positions seemed more ambiguous. Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022 The ending of the film is far more ambiguous than the novel’s conclusion. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2022 That same day, Ally texted him a photo of two more ambiguous home pregnancy tests. CBS News, 5 Mar. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Latin ambiguus "unresolved, hesitating in mind, of uncertain outcome, having more than one possible meaning, untrustworthy" (from ambigō, ambigere "to dispute, be undecided, call in question, be in doubt" —from amb- "around, about, on both sides" + agere "to drive [cattle], be in motion, do perform"— + -uus, deverbal adjective suffix) + -ous — more at ambient entry 1, agent First Known Use 1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Kids Definition ambiguous adjective am·big·u·ous am-ˈbi-gyə-wəs : able to be understood in more than one way an ambiguous explanation ambiguous adjective as in cryptic having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning the exact reason for the change in plans is ambiguous, but I suspect it has something to do with money Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance cryptic obscure vague dark enigmatic unclear mysterious murky equivocal mystic nebulous questionable enigmatical esoteric inscrutable uncertain opaque confusing occult complicated arcane deep obscurant weird indistinct undefined elliptical fuzzy fuliginous difficult uncanny double-edged abstruse eerie hazy undetermined elliptic incomprehensible indirect inexact puzzling complex indefinite Delphic recondite shadowy inexplicable disguised perplexing indecipherable inexplicit noncommittal foggy muddy baffling shrouded clouded indistinguishable unknowable bewildering obfuscatory concealed faint misty confounding shaded cloaked obtuse unanswerable invisible intangible masked mystifying cloudy dim beclouded eery impenetrable sphinxlike befogged shadowlike impalpable obscurantic unfathomable inappreciable circuitous roundabout bedimmed obnubilated Antonyms & Near Antonyms unambiguous obvious clear unequivocal understandable plain accessible distinct comprehensible intelligible certain legible evident knowable strong bright sure explicit defined nonambiguous direct straightforward fathomable determined definite pellucid firm exact self-explanatory visible self-evident tangible appreciable unmistakable palpable blatant patent See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of ambiguous are cryptic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, obscure, and vague. While all these words mean "not clearly understandable," ambiguous applies to language capable of more than one interpretation. an ambiguous directive The words cryptic and ambiguous can be used in similar contexts, but cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning. cryptic hints of hidden treasure The words dark and ambiguous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dark implies an imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion. muttered dark hints of revenge The synonyms enigmatic and ambiguous are sometimes interchangeable, but enigmatic stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality. enigmatic occult writings While the synonyms equivocal and ambiguous are close in meaning, equivocal applies to language left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading. moral precepts with equivocal phrasing Although the words obscure and ambiguous have much in common, obscure implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some inadequacy of expression or withholding of full knowledge. obscure poems While in some cases nearly identical to ambiguous, vague implies a lack of clear formulation due to inadequate conception or consideration. a vague sense of obligation
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ambiguous

adjective

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser