ambiguous

adjective

am-ˈbi-gyə-wəs How to pronounce ambiguous (audio)
Definition of ambiguousnext
as in obscure
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning the exact reason for the change in plans is ambiguous, but I suspect it has something to do with money

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ambiguous different from other adjectives like it?

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.

an ambiguous directive

When can cryptic be used instead of ambiguous?

The words cryptic and ambiguous can be used in similar contexts, but cryptic implies a purposely concealed meaning.

cryptic hints of hidden treasure

When would dark be a good substitute for ambiguous?

The words dark and ambiguous are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dark implies an imperfect or clouded revelation often with ominous or sinister suggestion.

muttered dark hints of revenge

When is it sensible to use enigmatic instead of ambiguous?

The synonyms enigmatic and ambiguous are sometimes interchangeable, but enigmatic stresses a puzzling, mystifying quality.

enigmatic occult writings

When could equivocal be used to replace ambiguous?

While the synonyms equivocal and ambiguous are close in meaning, equivocal applies to language left open to differing interpretations with the intention of deceiving or evading.

moral precepts with equivocal phrasing

In what contexts can obscure take the place of ambiguous?

Although the words obscure and ambiguous have much in common, obscure implies a hiding or veiling of meaning through some inadequacy of expression or withholding of full knowledge.

obscure poems

When is vague a more appropriate choice than ambiguous?

While in some cases nearly identical to ambiguous, vague implies a lack of clear formulation due to inadequate conception or consideration.

a vague sense of obligation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ambiguous Before that meeting, the American commitment to security guarantees was ambiguous. —Michael McFaul, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2025 Conflicting messaging and ambiguous guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration shook up the usual launch of annual vaccines. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2025 But how deliciously ambiguous that would’ve been! —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025 The quiz’s function remains ambiguous. —Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ambiguous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ambiguous
  1. obscure
  2. enigmatic
  3. vague
  4. mysterious
  5. unclear
  6. murky
  7. cryptic
  8. mystic
Adjective
  • For instance, in a now obscure 1944 speech, Franklin Delano Roosevelt argued that the American Revolution remained an incomplete project.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Department and team-level metrics expose inefficiency that company-wide averages often obscure.
    — Heidi Farris, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Definition of obscure
Adjective
  • Acclaimed country musician Orville Peck will make his film debut in Street Fighter as the enigmatic Vega, a masked fighter with a freaky set of Freddy Krueger claws.
    — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
  • One of Al Pacino’s finest performances of the 1970s — which, with the Godfather films and Serpico, is an absurd hot hand — is as the enigmatic, wild-eyed Sonny, a man who performs a desperate bank robbery with his partner (the late John Cazale, by turns heartbreakingly clueless and dopily funny).
    — Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Definition of enigmatic
Adjective
  • Allowing the President to unlawfully remove Governor Cook on unsubstantiated and vague allegations would endanger the stability of our financial system and undermine the rule of law.
    — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But many of the recommendations were vague or lacked the teeth some experts hoped to see from a document MAHA allies for months had said would dramatically transform the health of Americans.
    — Will McDuffie, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
Definition of vague
Adjective
  • With the head of the Demon Corps in danger, Tanjiro and the Hashira rush to the headquarters but are plunged into a deep descent to a mysterious space by the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Beyond this, the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-Ray observatory also studied this spiral galaxy repeatedly and found mysterious regions known as ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs).
    — Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of mysterious
Adjective
  • How often rape suspects avoid prosecution as a result is unclear.
    — Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The extent of damage to the target, however, remains unclear.
    — Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of unclear
Adjective
  • Gray tones, blacks, murky greens, and of course, the midnight blue complete the look.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025
  • But after that, things get murky.
    — Sarah Hutter, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Definition of murky
Adjective
  • These fish, known for their cryptic behavior, were identified as a neonative species, expanding their range naturally.
    — Real-Time News team, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Ars reached out to Google for an explanation, receiving a cryptic and somewhat unsatisfying reply.
    — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025
Definition of cryptic
Adjective
  • Yet Blanc’s real faith lies in the nearly mystic quality involved in seeing what the human animal is capable of.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Yeats’s spirals, once dismissed as the wild diagrams of a mystic, now settle over this place like soot.
    — Alaa Alqaisi August 13, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Definition of mystic

Browse Nearby Words

ambiguity
ambiguous
ambiguously
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Cite this Entry

“Ambiguous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ambiguous. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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