ambiguity
gb/ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti/ us/ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti/
B2
Inglés
~ 7500
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
B2
property
1
unclear or double meaning in language
A situation where words or a message are not clear because they can have more than one meaning.
Patrón de uso:
ambiguity in/of [a word/statement/text]
Error frecuente:
Learners often confuse "ambiguity" with "vagueness" or "confusion". Ambiguity usually means there are two or more clear but different possible meanings, not just that something is poorly written. Another common mistake is using it as an adjective (*"an ambiguity word"*); the correct adjective is "ambiguous" ("an ambiguous word").
Sinónimos
uncertainty (More general; does not always suggest several specific possible meanings in language.)
|
vagueness (Suggests lack of detail or precision rather than clearly different possible meanings.)
|
unclearness (Everyday term; focuses on difficulty in understanding rather than multiple interpretations.)
Antónimos
clarity (Means that the message is easy to understand and cannot be taken in different ways.)
|
precision (Emphasizes very exact wording that leaves no room for different interpretations.)
Colocaciones
ambiguity of meaning
|ambiguity in the text
|semantic ambiguity
|intentional ambiguity
|remove ambiguity
|resolve the ambiguity
Temas
language
|communication
|logic
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The ambiguity in his email made it hard to know what he really wanted.
- Lawyers argued for hours over the ambiguity of a single sentence in the contract.
- Good poets often use ambiguity of meaning to create rich, layered images.
- Because of the title’s ambiguity, readers disagreed about what the book was really about.
- She edited the report to remove any ambiguity that might confuse customers.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- There is some ambiguity in this sentence.
- The teacher asked us to fix the ambiguity in our writing.
- This word has ambiguity because it has two meanings.
- Please write your answer again without ambiguity.
- The sign has ambiguity, so drivers are not sure what to do.
Sustantivo
B2
state
2
uncertainty in a situation or facts
A situation where it is not clear what is true or what will happen, or what the correct choice is.
Patrón de uso:
ambiguity about/surrounding/in [a situation/decision/rules]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes use "ambiguity" when they simply mean "risk" or "danger". Ambiguity is about not being clear or decided, not about something being good or bad. Another mistake is to say *"many ambiguities"* in very general statements where native speakers would use it uncountably, as in "a lot of ambiguity".
Sinónimos
uncertainty (Very close in meaning; more general and common for situations, not just for language.)
|
indeterminacy (More formal and technical; often used in academic or philosophical writing.)
Antónimos
certainty (Focuses on being sure about facts or outcomes, with no doubt.)
|
definiteness (Stresses that something is clearly fixed or decided, with no open questions.)
Colocaciones
legal ambiguity
|ambiguity in the law
|ambiguity in the rules
|ambiguity about the future
|ambiguity surrounding his role
|political ambiguity
Temas
business
|society
|politics
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- There is still a lot of ambiguity about how the new policy will work in practice.
- The ambiguity in his job description led to constant conflict with other team members.
- Investors hate ambiguity in government decisions because it makes planning difficult.
- The agreement was rejected because of ambiguity in the financial terms.
- Leaders must be able to act even when there is ambiguity and incomplete information.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- There is ambiguity about who is the boss in that office.
- Many students feel ambiguity about their future after school.
- The rules have ambiguity, so people follow them in different ways.
- We could not make a plan because of the ambiguity in the situation.
- The company wants to reduce ambiguity in its new process.
Sustantivo
C1
state
3
unclear moral rightness or wrongness
A state where it is not clear if something is morally right or wrong.
Patrón de uso:
moral ambiguity of/in [a person/action/story]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse "ambiguity" with "ambivalence" in this context. "Ambiguity" is about the moral status being unclear; "ambivalence" is having mixed feelings. Another mistake is to say *"he has ambiguity"*; it is more natural to say "there is moral ambiguity in his character" or "his character is morally ambiguous".
Sinónimos
moral complexity (Highlights that the situation involves mixed or conflicting values, not simple right vs wrong.)
|
ethical uncertainty (Focuses on doubt about what is ethically correct in a situation.)
Antónimos
moral clarity (Describes a situation where it is clear what is right and what is wrong.)
|
righteousness (Emphasizes clear moral correctness, often with a positive or ideal tone.)
Colocaciones
moral ambiguity
|ethical ambiguity
|ambiguity of his motives
|ambiguity in her actions
|ambiguity of the hero
|genuine moral ambiguity
Temas
ethics
|literature
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The film’s power comes from the moral ambiguity of its main character.
- She was attracted to the role because of the ambiguity in the hero’s motives.
- The novel explores the moral ambiguity of war and resistance.
- Critics praised the show for its willingness to embrace ambiguity rather than easy answers.
- The story leaves some ambiguity about whether the crime was justified.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Many modern books show moral ambiguity in their heroes.
- There is moral ambiguity in his choice to lie to protect his friend.
- The movie’s moral ambiguity makes the viewer think a lot.
- Some people like moral ambiguity, but others want a clear good and bad side.
- The teacher asked us to talk about the moral ambiguity in the story.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
ambiguity
AFI
GB/ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti/
US/ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti/
Sílabas y acento
am - bi - gu - ity (4 sílabas)
Stress on 3rd syllable (gu)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: ambiguity
- Plural: ambiguities, ambiguity
Familia de palabras
Forms
ambiguities
noun
Core family
ambiguous
adjective B2
ambiguously
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
unambiguous
adjective
unambiguously
adverb
Advanced or less common
disambiguate
verb
disambiguation
noun
Expresiones
ambiguity in the law
1/ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti ˈɪn ðə lˈɔ/
fixed phrase
unclear or open legal wording
A situation where a law is not clear, so people are not sure how to understand or use it.
Ejemplos
- Ambiguity in the law has created problems for small businesses.
- The court case exposed serious ambiguity in the law on digital privacy.
- Lawmakers promised to fix the ambiguity in the law before the next election.
ambiguity of meaning
1/ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti əv mˈinɪŋ/
fixed phrase
uncertainty about exact meaning
A situation where the meaning of words is not clear because there is more than one possible meaning.
Ejemplos
- The ambiguity of meaning in this slogan makes it easy to remember but hard to explain.
- Teachers often use dictionaries to discuss the ambiguity of meaning in common words.
- Translators must watch out for ambiguity of meaning when working between languages.
deliberate ambiguity
1/dɪlˈɪbɚɪt ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti/
fixed phrase
ambiguity used on purpose
Ambiguity that someone creates on purpose, usually to be polite, flexible, or artistic.
Ejemplos
- The politician’s deliberate ambiguity allowed him to appeal to different groups of voters.
- In poetry, deliberate ambiguity can make a short text feel much richer.
- The manager used deliberate ambiguity to avoid making a clear promise.
moral ambiguity
1/mˈɔɹəl ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti/
fixed phrase
uncertain moral right or wrong
A situation where it is not clear if something is good or bad, right or wrong.
Ejemplos
- The series is famous for its moral ambiguity and complex characters.
- Readers were shocked by the moral ambiguity at the end of the story.
- The film uses moral ambiguity to make the audience question their own values.
resolve the ambiguity
1/ɹizˈɑlv ðə ˌæmbɪɡjˈuəti/
fixed phrase
remove unclear or double meaning
To make something that was not clear now clear, so that it no longer has more than one meaning.
Ejemplos
- The judge asked the lawyers to resolve the ambiguity in the contract.
- Adding a definition at the start of the report helped resolve the ambiguity for readers.
- The software update aims to resolve the ambiguity in some error messages.