Ambiguous (adj.)
If something can be interpreted in more than one way, it is ambiguous.
For example, I have heard a lot of people say that they are against the consumption of alcohol and smoking in college and university premises. However, despite repeated assurances that they are going to put a stop to it, they never take action against the culprits. In a way, their attitude to/towards this issue is quite ambiguous. Are they in favour of such activities? But, how can they be?
Now, why is there a confusion over what to make of it?
Well, it's because the behaviour of the authorities of certain academic establishments (which I won't name for obvious reasons) is ambiguous.
Let's have a few more examples.
a. His reply to the question was ambiguous.
("What exactly does he mean? Is it 'this'? Is it 'that'? Is it something else? I don't know what to make of it.")
b. The Board has been ambiguous on this issue.
c. The wording of the legal documents is somewhat ambiguous.
Synonyms: ambivalent, equivocal, debatable, open to argument, open to interpretation
Antonyms: obvious, clear, unambiguous
There is a difference between the meanings of the words, "ambiguous" and "ambivalent". I will discuss it later.
Tags: ambiguous meaning, ambiguous in a sentence, ambiguous opposite, ambiguous synonyms, English is easy with RB, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS
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