noun
ambiguity
am-bih-GYOO-ih-tee
noun
1
The quality of having more than one possible meaning or interpretation.
"The contract's wording left room for ambiguity about who was liable."
2
A specific word, phrase, or statement that can be understood in more than one way.
"The judge asked the lawyers to resolve the ambiguity in the clause before ruling."
How to Use Ambiguity
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUnclearness caused by a word or statement being open to more than one meaning.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
leave room for ambiguity
resolve the ambiguity
moral ambiguity
Word Forms
ambiguities plural
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The contract's wording left room for _____ about who was liable.
Etymology
From Old French ambiguite, from Latin ambiguitas, from ambiguus — see "ambiguous".