adjective · academic
ambiguous
/æmˈbɪɡjuəs/am·BIG·u·ous
Band 5-6speakingtask1task2
not clear because it can be understood in more than one way
Examples
“The contract was ambiguous, so the two companies disagreed on who should pay.”
“His answer was ambiguous and left the interviewer confused.”
“Ambiguous wording in the law has created loopholes.”
Band 8 sentence
“The law is ambiguously worded, which allows different interpretations and complicates enforcement.”
Collocations
- ambiguous wording / statement / clause
- remain ambiguous
- interpret something as ambiguous
Word family
ambiguous adjectiveambiguity nounambiguously adverb
Common mistakes
I am ambiguous about my future.→I feel uncertain about my future.
Ambiguous is the main problem.→Ambiguity is the main problem.
Say it for a higher band
5unclear→6vague→7+ambiguous
Synonyms
unclear
vague
Easily confused
vague
“The instructions were vague, so I didn't know exactly what to do.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -ous
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