ambiguous

Intermediatezipf 3.57

Pronunciation

/æmˈbɪɡjuəs/(am-BIG-yoo-us)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral

Chinese

模棱两可的；含糊的（可有多种理解）

Definition

Open to more than one interpretation; not having one clear meaning.

Word family

  • ambiguity/ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːəti/(n)歧义
  • ambiguously/æmˈbɪɡjuəsli/(adv)含糊地
  • unambiguous/ˌʌnæmˈbɪɡjuəs/(adj)明确的

Collocations

  • ambiguous statement
  • ambiguous wording
  • morally ambiguous
  • deliberately ambiguous

Examples

  1. 1.His answer was deliberately ambiguous to avoid commitment. (evasive)
  2. 2.The law is ambiguous on this point and needs clarification. (unclear)

Synonyms

  • vague/veɪɡ/— lacks detail, imprecise
  • equivocal/ɪˈkwɪvəkəl/— deliberately misleading
  • unclear/ʌnˈklɪə/— general, informal

Etymology

ambi- (both) + agere (to drive) — driven in two directions