What does it mean when you are ambiguous?

doubtful or uncertain
ambiguous • \am-BIG-yuh-wus\ • adjective. 1 a : doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness b : incapable of being explained, interpreted, or accounted for : inexplicable 2 : capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways.

What is an example of ambiguous?

Ambiguity Definition

Ambiguous words or statements lead to vagueness and confusion, and shape the basis for instances of unintentional humor. For instance, it is ambiguous to say “I rode a black horse in red pajamas,” because it may lead us to think the horse was wearing red pajamas.

What is another word for 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.

What does the word ambiguous mean in a sentence?

having or expressing more than one possible meaning, sometimes intentionally: His reply to my question was somewhat ambiguous. The wording of the agreement is ambiguous. The government has been ambiguous on this issue.

What is ambiguous behavior?

n. 1. the property of a behavior, behavior pattern, or situation that might be interpreted in more than one way.

Is ambiguity good or bad?

In speech and writing, however, ambiguity can be a useful tool. In your speech, you might want to use ambiguity to make your audience consider things for themselves. In a creative writing piece, you’ll be dealing with some sort of conflict, climax, and resolution.

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.

What is an ambiguous situation?

You are dealing with ambiguous situations when you see that there is more than. one solution to a problem, but you aren’t sure which one to do. Or, it might. be when you come to a conclusion about a situation, but before you can act on. it, the situation has already changed.

What does vague and ambiguous mean?

Lesson Summary. Vague writing is that which is unclear to the audience. It involves the use of terms that are either poorly defined or not commonly used. On the other hand, ambiguous writing speaks of concepts that could have several different meanings without pinpointing what’s specifically being said.

What is an ambiguous relationship?

Here is exactly what being ambiguous in relationships actually means: you don’t know where you stand because a firm choice hasn’t been made, and in fact, other options haven’t been ruled out.

What is ambiguous thinking?

ambiguous/ ambivalent

Something ambiguous is unclear or vague, like the end of a short story that leaves you scratching your head. But if you’re ambivalent about something, you can take it or leave it. Whatever.

What is the opposite of ambiguous?

Opposite of having a meaning that is open to several interpretations. clear. nonambiguous. obvious. unambiguous.

Why is someone ambiguous?

The definition of ambiguous is something that is unclear or not easily describable. An example of someone who might give an ambiguous answer to a question is a politician who is talking to his constituents. Open to multiple interpretations.

How do you deal with ambiguous people?

5 Tips to Overcome Ambiguity at Work
  1. Learn to Act without Knowing All of the Details. Having the ability to take action without having each and every detail is a key component in dealing with ambiguity. …
  2. Confidently Take Risks. …
  3. Plan for Different Scenarios. …
  4. Communicate. …
  5. Embrace Change.

What does intentionally ambiguous mean?

Intentional ambiguity refers to the linguistic phenomenon that the addresser consciously uses some indirect or ambiguous words to express illocutionary forces to the addressee in the specific context.

How do you thrive in ambiguity?

Six Ways Leaders Can Thrive in Ambiguity
  1. Make paradox your friend. …
  2. Don’t close too early. …
  3. Learn to say “I don’t know.” Managing paradox and complexity requires the input and intelligence of as many people as possible. …
  4. Own your derailers. …
  5. Engage in authentic dialogue. …
  6. Recognize you’re not finished and never will be.

How do you live with ambiguity?

How to deal with ambiguity
  1. Manage your inner control freak. Let’s face it – we all like to be in control. …
  2. Let go of the complete picture. …
  3. Make a decision. …
  4. Be agile. …
  5. Be confident in yourself. …
  6. Avoid crystal ball gazing. …
  7. Learn stress reduction techniques. …
  8. Practise mindfulness.

What are different levels of ambiguity?

In writing and speech, there are two forms of ambiguity: lexical ambiguity and syntactic ambiguity.
  • Lexical Ambiguity: (within a word) This form of ambiguity is also called homonymy or semantic ambiguity. …
  • Syntactic Ambiguity: (within a sentence or sequence of words)

What does thriving ambiguity mean?

Thriving in ambiguity means making better decisions. When facing ambiguity, our ego doesn’t want us to look like we don’t know what we’re doing. We tend to pick the reason that fits best into our world view and ignore the other ones.

What is ambiguity in the change process?

In a change process, ambiguity is cyclic; it will diminish every time decisions are made and will rise again as new issues appear and decisions have to be made to resolve them.