Equivocal and ambiguous mean pretty much the same thing. The main difference is that being equivocal has a strong connotation of deception; being ambiguous on purpose to misguide or mislead. Equivocal and ambiguous usually refer to something or someone that could have two or more meanings/interpretations.

Is equivocal the same as ambiguous?

Although both words also can properly be used when referring to a statement subject to more than one interpretation, accepted usage holds that ambiguous is the proper choice if the resulting uncertainty seems unintentional^1(p39) and that equivocal is the way to go if the uncertainty seems to have been intentionally ...

Has an equivocal or ambiguous meaning?

As adjectives the difference between equivocal and ambiguous

having two or more significations equally applicable; capable of double or multiple interpretation; of doubtful meaning; ambiguous; uncertain; as, equivocal words; an equivocal sentence while ambiguous is open to multiple interpretations.

What is a different word for ambiguous?

Some common synonyms of ambiguous are cryptic, dark, enigmatic, equivocal, obscure, and vague.

What is opposite of ambiguous?

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms

ambiguous. Antonyms: univocal, obvious, plain, clear, unambiguous, indisputable, necessary, unmistakable, unequivocal, lucid. Synonyms: equivocal, vague, doubtful, enigmatical, uncertain, obscure, unintelligible, perplexing, indistinct, dubious.

Aristotle, The Categories | Univocal, Equivocal, and Derivative Terms | Philosophy Core Concepts

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. ... As a common linguistic phenomenon in conversational communication, ambiguity has always been concerned by linguists.

What are examples of ambiguity?

• The bark was painful. (Could mean a tree's bark was rough or a dog's bark communicated pain or hurt the listener's ears).
• You should bring wine or beer and dessert. (Could mean that you must bring just wine, wine and dessert, or beer and dessert).
• Harry isn't coming to the party.

Does ambiguous have more than one meaning?

Ambiguous has, like many words in English, more than one possible meaning; a quality some might refer to as ambiguous itself. This word may mean "doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness," "capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways," and "inexplicable."

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. This agreement is very ambiguous and open to various interpretations.

What is an ambiguous situation?

What is Ambiguity? ... 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 is an example of equivocal?

Examples: When I asked Frances how her job was going, she gave me an equivocal response: "Let's just say I won't be a sous-chef for much longer." Did you know? Equivocal, vague, and ambiguous all mean "not clearly understandable" and are used to describe confusing speech or writing.

Does equivocal mean equal?

Equivocal is from the Latin aequus, "equal, the same," + vocare, "to call, to speak," and describes when something is too close to call.

What are the examples of equivocal terms?

Equivocal Term: A term that has more than one meaning. That is, it signifies more than one concept, and thus corresponds to more than one definition. An equivocal term has different intensions when it is used. E.g. the term "chihuahua" can signify (a) a breed of dog; (b) a state of Mexico.

What is the antonym of equivocal?

equivocal. Antonyms: univocal, plain, direct, clear. Synonyms: dubious, ambiguous, doubtful, double-sided.

What does ambiguous circumstances mean?

adj. 1 having more than one possible interpretation or meaning. 2 difficult to understand or classify; obscure. (C16: from Latin ambiguus going here and there, uncertain, from ambigere to go around, from ambi- + agere to lead, act)

What is the best antonym for enigmatic?

• clear.
• explicit.
• obvious.
• known.
• plain.

What does ambiguous mean in math?

An expression is said to be ambiguous (or poorly defined) if its definition does not assign it a unique interpretation or value.

What is the difference between vague and ambiguous?

'Vague' is used where something lacks precision or detail, while 'ambiguous' is something that could have two meanings, or is open to interpretation.

What is the difference between ambiguous and ambivalent?

In ambivalent it refers to having mixed, contradictory, or more than one feeling about something. ... If you are ambivalent about something, you feel two ways about it. 'Ambiguous', on the other hand, means "unclear or capable of being understood in two or more different ways."

WHAT DOES A as in atypical mean?

adjective. not typical; not conforming to the type; irregular; abnormal: atypical behavior; a flower atypical of the species. Also a·typ·ic .

How do you remember the word ambiguous?

Mnemonics (Memory Aids) for ambiguous

Ambi (am + bi) means 2 , while guous sounds like guess. So if 2 people guess on something, then it will make the subject doubtful or unclear.

What is the synonym and antonym of ambiguous?

Words related to ambiguous

cryptic, dubious, enigmatic, equivocal, inconclusive, obscure, opaque, puzzling, questionable, uncertain, unclear, vague, doubtful, enigmatical, indefinite, indeterminate, inexplicit, muddy, multivocal, polysemous.

What are the 4 types of ambiguity?

These four types, namely, lexical ambiguity, structural ambiguity and scope ambiguity and a controversial type - the combination of lexical and structural ambiguity all have their own properties although it is not easy to distinguish them very clearly sometimes.

What are the three types of ambiguity?

• Lexical Ambiguity. Lexical ambiguity is the most commonly known form of ambiguity (Reilly 1991; Walton 1996). ...
• Syntactical Ambiguity. ...
• Inflective Ambiguity.

What are the two types of ambiguity?

• Lexical ambiguity is the presence of two or more possible meanings within a single word.
• Syntactic ambiguity is the presence of two or more possible meanings within a single sentence or sequence of words.