The capability of being understood in two or more different ways: "Reading alone comforts me" could mean "Reading by myself comforts me" or "Only reading comforts me."
A standard policy provision that proves to be ambiguous may be interpreted in the light most favorable to the insured.
meaning more than one thing
Multiple meanings a literary work may communicate, especially two meanings that are incompatible.
(in sentence meaning) The case in which a sentence (i.e., one surface structure) has two meanings (i.e., two underlying structures). (For example, "These missionaries are ready to eat" overheard in a conversation between two cannibals.)
C&P page: 194-5 Definition: A term in a context is ambiguous if it has more than one relatively distinct meaning in that context
A fallacy of language that occurs when a word in an argument has two or more possible meanings and the listener has no means to determine adequately which meaning the arguer intends.
vague or equivocal language; meaning that can be taken two ways.
an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context
unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning
a statement which can be interpreted two or more different ways
The state of an linguistic expression having more than one possible meaning where the exact meaning is not clear from the context.
The expression of an idea in such a way that more than one meaning is suggested. All AP essay passages have some ambiguity. To get the highest scores, students have to make reference to the multiple meanings seen in the passages. example- "It was like dodging back and forth from one dimension to another, a silent explosion of breaking through the sound barrier, a curious experience, like a dip into a known but alien water."
Allows for two or more simultaneous interpretations of a word, phrase, action, or situation, all of which can be supported by the context of a work.
The possibility of more than one interpretation or reading of a phrase or sentence.
A frequent shortcoming of source texts. An ambiguous phrase to be translated presents at least two possibilities for the translator, who thus has at best a 50% chance of making a mistake if the context does not clarify the issue. The question can therefore only be resolved by contacting the author of the source text.
ambi 'around' + agere 'act'; ambigere 'to wander'; ª[¸q): Something suggesting more than one meaning or interpretation.
language in the insurance policy that can be considered unclear or subject to different interpretations.
William Empson defined ambiguity as: 'any verbal nuance, however slight, which gives room for alternative reactions to the same piece of language'. Although ambiguity is not desirable in prose, in poetry it can sometimes add extra layers of meaning. Figurative language - such as metaphors - often create ambiguity. In 1930 Empson published a critical work entitled Seven Types of Ambiguity.
Two or more meanings for a word (or sentence, or utterance, or other meaning-unit.) Use of both Inductive and Deductive Language Patterns benefit from being able to recognize the following specific forms of ambiguity: Ambiguity: Phonological Homonyms, words that sound or are spelled the same but have different meanings. Technically, homonyms can exhibit either or both phonological and orthoraphic ambiguity, but as our focus is primarily on spoken language, it's the phonological aspect that counts. Ambiguity: Syntactic The paradigmatic example from Grinder and Bandler's The Structure of Magic, Vol. I is: They were murdering peasants This example has two basic meanings, one in which peasants are being murdered, another in which peasants are committing murder. Ambiguity: Scope In essence ambiguities where a description might apply to subject or object of sentence, as in: I am speaking to you as a seeker of wisdom. Where the verb "speaking" clearly belongs to the subject, "a seeker of wisdom" could as readily apply to either subject, object or both.
(When a word/phrase can be interpreted in different ways. "Not to be confused with vagueness". Lexical, referential and syntactical.)
Something that is likely to be interpret ed in more than one way. Editor's Note: An important part of a project manager's job is to seek clarity and hence avoid ambiguity. [D02373] RMW
Terms or words in an insurance policy which make the meaning unclear or which can be interpreted in more than one way. The rule of law is that any ambiguity in the policy is construed against the insurer and in favor of the insured. This is because the contract is one of adhesion; that is, the insured must adhere to what the insurer has written. If the insurance does not make its contract clear, it is responsible. (G)
the use of a word or expression to mean more than one thing.
Capability of more than one meaning. When a statement's meaning is not clear because it is capable of more than one meaning, it contains an ambiguity.
Doubtfulness or doubleness of meaning, duplicity, or indistinctness or uncertainty of meaning of an expression used in a written instrument.
he state of having more than one meaning. Unintentional ambiguity caused by faulty pronoun reference or vague phrases detracts from poetry. Ambiguity which suggests two or more plausible meanings for the same context and continues simultaneously several different but suitable trains of thought is one of the characteristics of great poetry.
Definition or identification that leaves uncertainty as to the specific assignment of referent to thing.
Ambiguity is the property of [words], terms, notations and concepts (within a particular context) as being undefined, undefinable, or without an obvious definition and thus having an unclear meaning. A word, phrase, sentence, or other communication is called “ambiguous†if it can be interpreted in more than one way. Ambiguity is distinct from vagueness, which arises when the boundaries of meaning are indistinct.