Ambiguity can someone explain in simple English what it means and in which context would it be used. Thank-you

Answer 1

If something is ambiguous it means it has more than one meaning.
I.e, it could be construde differently by different people

Answer 2

Ambiguity occurs when a sentence can have more than one meaning and it is not particularly clear which one is intended.

A couple of amusing examples.

I walked into the gentlemen's toilet to see a sign saying 'Wet Paint'. It wasn't clear whether the paint was wet or whether it was an instruction for me to wet it!

In the cafe there was a sign saying 'Freshly Cut Sandwiches'. This was ambiguous since it didn't inform me whether the sandwiches were fresh or whether they were stale but had only recently been cut.

So you can see that it is important in communication to be clear about what is actually meant. The signs should have said.

'Caution. This paint is wet' Do not touch'

and

'These sandwiches have been recently prepared and are fresh.'

Answer 3

Where you aren't bothered by the outcome which ever way it goes.

You can be ambiguous over whether a relationship ends. Stay with the person, End the relationship - who cares!

Ambiguous can be something that might have 2 meanings. Not clearly defined.

Hope it helps (did it without reference to a dictionary!!)

Answer 4

Ambiguity means something that can be interpreted in different ways. It is often confused with vague but vague simply means unclear.

I vaguely remember the events of last night. I must have been more drunk than I thought I was.

This rule is ambiguous (i.e., it is open to or has several possible meanings or interpretations)

Answer 5

If something is ambiguous, it has more than one meaning, and it is not clear which one is intended.
For example, "The food is hot!"
Here "hot" is ambiguous because, without further information, it can mean hot as in the opposite of cold (temperature) or hot as in spicy (taste) or Hot! as in great (slang).
It also means difficult to understand. Example: "Her reaction to the news was ambiguous." Meaning, she probably laughed, cried and became angry all at once OR that you couldn't understand why she reacted in the way she did because you were expecting her to react differently.

Answer 6

If something is ambiguous its real meaning cannot be easily deduced, often important facts could be missing.

Say you have some flat-pack furniture, and the diagrams follow no proper order "the instructions for assembly were ambiguous".

Answer 7

Something which is ambiguous is usually unclear, vague, misleading or has a double meaning. Could be used in many contexts. Can be used intentionally (like in advertising) or unintentionally. "Bananas in pyjamas "spring to mind - hope that won't be taken the wrong way!

Answer 8

"Ambiguity" refers to a statement which, depending on where the emphasis is placed in the sentence (which word is stressed) or how a particular word is interpreted, can have two (or more) different meanings. It can be unintentional, resulting from poor grammar, word choice or sentence structure or, it can be intentional (e.g. a political speech or tv ad) where the speaker wants to say one thing which he can defend in a court of law if it comes down to it but which he knows the hearer will interpret differently which is the way the speaker wants the hearer to think.

Answer 9

It means that the meaning of something is not clear. For example: My forefathers came from the British Isles means that my ancestors came from the British Isles. But you might hear it as "My four fathers came from the British Isles" and start wondering why I have four fathers when other people only have one! The basic meaning of "ambiguity" is, I believe, "having two meanings".

Answer 10

The instance of ambiguity that I always remember is:- man holding a tent peg to the ground; second man holding a mallet; the first one says "when I nod my head, you hit it" - instructions could mean hit the peg or hit his head.