1
[ noun ] an expression whose meaning cannot be determined from its context

Used in print

(Evan Esar, Humorous English; a guide to comic ,...)

There are many types of ambiguity and many_of them have been described by rhetoricians under such names as amphibology , parisology , and other ologies .

One species of ambiguity tries to baffle by interweaving repetition .

Ambiguity of a non repetitious kind describes the dilemma one girl found herself in .

Since brevity is the soul of ambiguity as_well as wit , newspaper headlines continually provide us with amusing samples .

Apart from misplaced modifiers and headlinese , journalism contributes a wide variety of comic ambiguities in both editorial and advertising matter .

2
[ noun ] unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning

Synonyms

equivocalness

Used in print

(Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)

In_fact , the recent warnings about the use of X-rays have introduced fears and ambiguities of action which now require more detailed understanding , and thus in_this instance , science has momentarily aggravated our fears .

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