The term ambiguous is used as an adjective meaning “ doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness” or “capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways.” It is used to describe things, situations, or events but should not be used to describe people.
What is ambiguous behavior?
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.
What makes a person ambiguous?
It means you’re being unclear or inexact . Ambiguity is a funny thing. Sometimes, people do it on purpose. Other times, they don’t know they’re doing it. Sometimes, people enjoy a little ambiguity because it feels like you’re solving a puzzle.
What does it mean when someone says your ambiguous?
In ambivalent it refers to having mixed, contradictory, or more than one feeling about something. In ambiguous on the other hand, it means unclear or able to be understood in multiple ways . ... ‘Ambiguous’, on the other hand, means “unclear or capable of being understood in two or more different ways.”
What does ambiguous attitude mean?
1 having more than one possible interpretation or meaning .
What are some examples of ambiguity?
- The bark was painful. (Could mean a tree’s bark was rough or a dog’s bark communicated pain or hurt the listener’s ears).
- You should bring wine or beer and dessert. (Could mean that you must bring just wine, wine and dessert, or beer and dessert).
- Harry isn’t coming to the party.
What is an example of ambiguous?
Ambiguity is when the meaning of a word, phrase, or sentence is uncertain. There could be more than one meaning. ... Examples of Ambiguity: Sarah gave a bath to her dog wearing a pink t-shirt.
What are the three types of ambiguity?
- Lexical Ambiguity. Lexical ambiguity is the most commonly known form of ambiguity (Reilly 1991; Walton 1996). ...
- Syntactical Ambiguity. ...
- Inflective Ambiguity.
How do I stop being ambiguous?
- Write Explicit Requirements. ...
- Would and Should Must Be Avoided. ...
- Be Careful With Adverbs. ...
- Absolute Modifiers Add Clarity. ...
- Use Pronouns Carefully. ...
- Write Using Consistent Terms. ...
- Avoid Abbreviation Altogether. ...
- Short Sentences and a Clear Layout.
What are some ambiguous words?
Frequently Asked Questions About ambiguous
Some common synonyms of ambiguous are cryptic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, obscure, and vague . While all these words mean “not clearly understandable,” ambiguous applies to language capable of more than one interpretation.
How do you use ambiguous?
- Ambiguous classroom rules like ‘Be responsible.’ ...
- I wish my professor’s instructions were less ambiguous so that I could better understand them.
- With an ambiguous plot, no one could understand the film’s premise. ...
- Because his driving directions are ambiguous, I use my reliable map.
Where is ambiguous used?
- Her songs are intentionally ambiguous . ...
- The ending was more ambiguous , one in which the future of the world was in question. ...
- There are a number of specific issues left somewhat ambiguous in the document. ...
- The modern work is deliberately ambiguous .
Does ambiguous mean confusing?
If you describe something as ambiguous, you mean that it is unclear or confusing because it can be understood in more than one way.
How do you fix ambiguous sentence?
One more way to combine sentences to avoid ambiguous this is to change one sentence into a that clause . In the following example, insert that before Janette, delete this, and combine the two sentences. d. Change one sentence into a that clause and combine the two sentences.
What is ambiguity in grammar?
In English grammar, syntactic ambiguity (also called structural ambiguity or grammatical ambiguity) is the presence of two or more possible meanings within a single sentence or sequence of words , as opposed to lexical ambiguity, which is the presence of two or more possible meanings within a single word.
What is the importance of ambiguity?
One possible reason that ambiguity is so important to art and literature is that it offers us the chance to be innovative in our interpretations . Faced with a work that has multiple meanings or seems vague, we have to actively use our own ideas and judgments to find meaning.
