HyperDic: ambiguous

English > 3 senses of the word ambiguous:
ADJECTIVEallambiguous, equivocalopen to two or more interpretations
allambiguoushaving more than one possible meaning / meaning
allambiguoushaving no intrinsic or objective meaning / meaning
ambiguous > pronunciation
Soundsaembih'gyuwahs
Rhymesabacus ... zealous: 1164 rhymes with ahs...
English > ambiguous: 3 senses > adjective 1
Meaningopen to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead.
Example "the polling had a complex and equivocal (or ambiguous) message for potential female candidates"
Synonymequivocal
Narrowerdouble, forkedHaving two meanings with intent to deceive
evasivedeliberately vague or ambiguous
indeterminateOf uncertain or ambiguous nature
See alsoambiguousHaving more than one possible meaning / meaning
Oppositeunequivocal, univocal, unambiguousAdmitting of no doubt or misunderstanding
Spanishambigua, ambiguo, equívoco
Catalanambigu
Nounsambiguityunclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning / meaning
ambiguityan expression whose meaning / meaning cannot be determined from its context
English > ambiguous: 3 senses > adjective 2
MeaningHaving more than one possible meaning / meaning.
Examples
  • "ambiguous words"
  • "frustrated by ambiguous instructions, the parents were unable to assemble the toy"
Narrowerdouble-barreled, double-barrelledHaving two purposes
double-edgedcapable of being interpreted in two usually contradictory ways
enigmatic, oracularresembling an oracle in obscurity of thought
left-handedironically ambiguous
multivalent, multi-valuedHaving many values, meanings, or appeals
polysemous, polysemanticOf words
uncertainambiguous (especially in the negative)
See alsoequivocal, ambiguousopen to two or more interpretations
unclearnot clear to the mind
OppositeunambiguousHaving or exhibiting a single clearly / clearly defined meaning
Spanishambiguo
Catalanambigu
Nounsambiguityunclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning / meaning
Adverbsambiguouslyin an ambiguous manner
English > ambiguous: 3 senses > adjective 3
MeaningHaving no intrinsic or objective meaning / meaning; not organized in conventional patterns.
Examples
  • "an ambiguous situation with no frame of reference"
  • "ambiguous inkblots"
Categorypsychology, psychological scienceThe science of mental life
Broaderunstructuredlacking definite structure or organization
Nounsambiguityan expression whose meaning / meaning cannot be determined from its context

©2001-24 · HyperDic hyper-dictionary · Contact

English | Spanish | Catalan
Privacy | Robots

Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict