ambiguous

UK: /æmˈbɪgjuəs/ US: /æmˈbɪgjuəs/ ,(am big′yo̅o̅ əs)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

am•big•u•ous /æmˈbɪgyuəs/   adj. 

1. open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations:
   He gave an ambiguous answer to that question.
2. doubtful;
   uncertain:
   in an ambiguous position.

am•big•u•ous•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

am•big•u•ous  (am big′yo̅o̅ əs), adj. 

1. open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations;
   equivocal:
   an ambiguous answer.
2. Linguistics (of an expression) exhibiting constructional homonymity;
   having two or more structural descriptions, as the sequence Flying planes can be dangerous.
3. of doubtful or uncertain nature;
   difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify:
   a rock of ambiguous character.
4. lacking clearness or definiteness;
   obscure;
   indistinct:
   an ambiguous shape; an ambiguous future.

• Latin ambiguus, equivalent. to ambig(ere) be uncertain (amb- ambi- + -igere combining form of agere to drive, lead, act) + -uus deverbal adjective, adjectival suffix; see -ous
• 1520–30

am•big′u•ous•ly, adv. 
am•big′u•ous•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. ambiguous, equivocal, cryptic, enigmatic describe conditions or statements not clear in meaning.
  ambiguous can refer to a statement, act, or attitude that is capable of two or more often contradictory interpretations, usually accidentally or unintentionally so:
  an ambiguous passage in the preamble.
  equivocal, usually applied to spoken as well as written language, also means susceptible of two or more interpretations, and it usually suggests a deliberate intent to mislead by avoiding clarity:
  saving face with an equivocal response to an embarrassing question.
  cryptic usually refers to intentional obscurity, especially in language, and often implies a private or hidden meaning but stresses resultant mystification or puzzlement:
  a cryptic remark that left us struggling to interpret his intention.
  enigmatic focuses on perplexity resulting from a mysterious or imponderable event or utterance, often one of great importance or deep significance:
  prophetic texts so enigmatic that their meaning has been disputed for centuries.
• 3. dubious, vague, indeterminate, unclassifiable, anomalous.
• 4. puzzling, enigmatic, problematic.

Antonyms

• 1. explicit.
• 3. certain.
• 4. clear, precise, unambiguous.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ambiguous / æmˈbɪɡjʊəs/ adjective

1. having more than one possible interpretation or meaning
2. difficult to understand or classify; obscure

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin ambiguus going here and there, uncertain, from ambigere to go around, from ambi- + agere to lead, act

amˈbiguously adverb

amˈbiguousness noun