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Ambiguity is the state of not being clear because something can be read in more than one way, or because you cannot tell which meaning is meant. A sentence can have an ambiguity (I saw her duck — a bird, or her head going down?).
Ambiguity is the state of not being clearAmbiguity（歧義）是一種不清楚的狀態 because something can be read in more than one way因為某樣東西可以有不只一種讀法，or because you cannot tell which meaning is meant或是你分不清楚指的是哪個意思。A sentence can have an ambiguity一個句子可以帶有ambiguity (I saw her duck — a bird, or her head going down?像I saw her duck——是「她的鴨子」，還是「她低頭」？)。
A look, a law, or a promise can have it too, when people cannot agree what it commits you to. We also say ambiguities for the unclear bits themselves.
A look, a law, or a promise can have it too一個眼神、一條法律，或一個承諾也可以有ambiguity，when people cannot agree what it commits you to當大家對它到底要求你做什麼意見不一。We also say ambiguities for the unclear bits themselves我們也會用ambiguities來指那些不清楚的部分本身。
In school it often means double meaning in language. In news and it can be a polite way to say someone is leaving things unclear on purpose.
In school it often means double meaning in language在學校裡，它通常指語言上的雙重意思。In news and politics在新聞和政治裡，it can be a polite way to say someone is leaving things unclear on purpose它可以是一種比較委婉的說法，說某人故意把事情講得不清不楚。
It is a fairly formal noun; in simple talk people say it is unclear or it can mean two things.
It is a fairly formal noun這是個相當正式的名詞；in simple talk people say it is unclear or it can mean two things平常說話會說「這不清楚」或「這可能有兩個意思」。
Though actually, unclear and ambiguous are not perfect friends: something can be unclear because it is vague or missing information, without offering two clean readings. Ambiguity is specially about that fork in the meaning.
Though actually不過其實，unclear and ambiguous are not perfect friendsunclear（不清楚）跟ambiguous（有歧義）不完全是同一回事：something can be unclear because it is vague or missing information一件事可能因為含糊或資訊不足而unclear，without offering two clean readings卻不一定能拆成兩種明確的讀法。Ambiguity is specially about that fork in the meaningambiguity專門指的就是意思上那個分岔點。
組成From Middle English and Old French, from Latin ambiguitas, from ambiguus. The Latin verb is ambi- (“on both sides”) + agere (“to drive, to move”), so “driven both ways,” then “doubtful.”
同家族的字
- ambiguousthe adjective; this is the noun
- ambiguouslythe adverb
原始詞典資料2 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
ambiguitynoun/æm.bɪˈɡjuː.ɪ.ti/
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The state of being ambiguous; the state of leaving room for more than one interpretation.
- His speech was made with such great ambiguity that neither supporter nor opponent could be certain of his true position.
- Whan this ſayd monument diſcouered was / Suche a ſuauite and fragrant odoure / Aſcended from the corps by ſingular grace / Paſſyng all worldly ſwetnes and ſauour / That all there present that day and hour / Suppoſed they had ben / in the felicite / Of erthely paradiſe / without ambiguite.
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An instance of this state: words or statements that are open to more than one interpretation, explanation or meaning, especially if that meaning cannot be determined from the context.
- If two persons bore the same name, and confusion was likely to be caused, ambiguity was avoided by adding the name of the father[…]
- For people who would rather face a plague of locusts than permit an avoidable ambiguity, this is like having their underwear twisted. You may think we should say to such people, “Get a life.” By all means tell them that. I’m neither making these rules up nor trying to enforce them; my job in this book is to point out to you what seems to be the current state of the language and its speakers."
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。