noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/ˌæm.bəˈɡju.ə.ti/weak vowel merger, US, Canada
[æm.bəˈɡju.ə.ɾi]weak vowel merger, US, Canada
Australian:/æm.bɪˈɡjʉː.ɪ.ti/
Australian:[æm.bɪˈɡjʉː.ɪ.ɾi]
rhymes with -uːɪti
CMU ARPABET:AE2 M B IH0 G Y UW1 AH0 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state of being ambiguous; the state of leaving room for more than one interpretation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Examples
His speech was made with such great ambiguity that neither supporter nor opponent could be certain of his true position.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
An instance of this state: words or statements that are open to more than one interpretation, explanation or meaning, especially if that meaning cannot be determined from the context.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: equivocalness
Antonyms: unambiguity
Broader terms: unclearness
Narrower terms: equivocation, prevarication, evasiveness, polysemy, lexical ambiguity, twilight zone, no man's land
4
noun
Meaning 4
an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h2énts? Proto-Indo-European *h2m̥bhíder. Proto-Italic *amβi- Latin ambi- Proto-Indo-European *h2eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h2éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Latin ambig(ō) Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Italic *-wos Latin -uus Latin ambiguus Proto-Indo-European *-teh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh2ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin ambiguitāsder. Old French ambiguitebor. Middle English ambiguite English ambiguity From Middle English ambiguite, from Old French ambiguite (French ambiguïté), from Latin ambiguitas, equivalent to ambiguous + -ity.
Across languages
Translations
77 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
dubbelsinnigheid
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Arabic:
اِلْتِبَاس
(iltibās)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Arabic:
إِبْهَام
(ʔibhām)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Armenian:
երկիմաստություն
(erkimastutʻyun)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Armenian:
անորոշություն
(anorošutʻyun)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Armenian:
երկդիմություն
(erkdimutʻyun)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Asturian:
ambigüedá
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Catalan:
ambigüitat
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Chinese Mandarin:
模棱兩可的詞句 /模棱两可的词句
(móléngliǎngkě de cíjù)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Chinese Mandarin:
有歧義的詞句 /有歧义的词句
(yǒu qíyì de cíjù)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Chinese Mandarin:
雙關語 /双关语
(shuāngguānyǔ)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Czech:
mnohoznačnost
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Czech:
dvojsmysl
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Danish:
tvetydighed
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Dutch:
dubbelzinnigheid
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Dutch:
ambiguïteit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Esperanto:
dusencaĵo
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Esperanto:
ambiguo
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Finnish:
monitulkintaisuus
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Finnish:
monimerkityksisyys
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Finnish:
ambiguiteetti
— something liable to more than one interpretation
French:
ambiguïté
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Galician:
ambigüidade
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Georgian:
გაურკვევლობა
(gaurḳvevloba)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Georgian:
ორაზროვნება
(orazrovneba)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Ambiguität
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Mehrdeutigkeit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Doppeldeutigkeit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Zweideutigkeit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Vieldeutigkeit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Doppelsinnigkeit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Uneindeutigkeit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Doppelbödigkeit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Doppelsinn
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Polysemie
— something liable to more than one interpretation
German:
Ambivalenz
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Greek:
ασάφεια
(asáfeia)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Greek:
αμφισημία
(amfisimía)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Ancient Greek:
ἀμφιβολία
(amphibolía)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Hungarian:
kétértelműség
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Hungarian:
félreérthetőség
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Indonesian:
kedwimaknaan
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Italian:
ambiguità
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Italian:
dubbio
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Khmer:
ភាពមិនច្បាស់លាស់
(phiəpmɨncbahlŏəh)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Korean:
애매모호
(aemaemoho)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Latin:
ambiguitas
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Luxembourgish:
Ambiguitéit
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Macedonian:
двосми́сленост
(dvosmíslenost)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Macedonian:
не́јасност
(néjasnost)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Macedonian:
недозначност
(nedoznačnost)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Mongolian:
тодорхой бус байдал
(todorxoj bus bajdal)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Norwegian Bokmål:
tvetydighet
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Persian:
گنگی
(gongi)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Polish:
wieloznaczność
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Portuguese:
ambiguidade
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Romanian:
ambiguitate
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Russian:
двусмы́сленность
(dvusmýslennostʹ)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Russian:
нея́сность
(nejásnostʹ)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Scottish Gaelic:
dà-sheaghachas
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Serbo-Croatian:
амбигвитет
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Serbo-Croatian:
вишезначност
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Serbo-Croatian:
двосмисленост
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Serbo-Croatian:
ambigvitet
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Serbo-Croatian:
višeznačnost
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Serbo-Croatian:
dvosmislenost
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Spanish:
ambigüedad
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Swedish:
tvetydighet
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Thai:
ความกํากวม
(kwaam gamguam)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Turkish:
muğlâklık
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Turkish:
ikircim
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Ukrainian:
двозна́чність
(dvoznáčnistʹ)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Ukrainian:
неоднозна́чність
(neodnoznáčnistʹ)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Ukrainian:
нея́сність
(nejásnistʹ)
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Vietnamese:
sự tối nghĩa
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Vietnamese:
sự mơ hồ
— something liable to more than one interpretation
Welsh:
amwysedd
— something liable to more than one interpretation
