Make Your Point > Archived Issues > AMBIGUOUS

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connect today's word to others: Picture a puffy cloud: you say it looks like a Ferrari, but I say it looks like a sideways lava lamp. The shape of the cloud is ambiguous: not clearly one thing or the other, open to multiple interpretations. The word ambiguous comes from a Latin word meaning "wandering around," which is appropriate when you think about how hard it is to pin down the exact meaning of something ambiguous. So it's easy to see why ambiguous looks like other words involving moving all over the place or flip-flopping between things, from amble to amphibious to ambidextrous ("able to write with both hands"), ambient ("surrounding"), and even ambitious, which comes from a Latin word that first described people who wandered around trying to rustle up votes for public office. Getting back to ambiguous, can you recall a word that means "to speak ambiguously," or literally, "to give equal voice (to multiple meanings)"? It's e_____cate. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "AMBIGUOUS" Ambiguous things are not clear or not definite, so they can be understood in two or more ways. Pronunciation: am BIG you us Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "an ambiguous thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was ambiguous.") Other forms: The adverb is "ambiguously." For the noun, pick between "ambiguity" (AM bih GYOO ih dee) or "ambiguousness." (I prefer "ambiguity.") And, things can be "unambiguous," and things can be said or done "unambiguously." How to use it: Sometimes people cause ambiguity on purpose; other times, on accident. Either way, "ambiguous" and "ambiguity" have a slightly negative tone, because ambiguity can cause frustration, confusion, wasted time, wasted effort, misunderstandings, arguments, fights, and so on. Talk about ambiguous looks, expressions, gestures, images, figures, and pictures. Or, talk about ambiguous words, phrases, sentences, messages, speeches, essays and so on. More specifically, you might talk about ambiguous promises, statements, claims, orders, instructions, policies, laws, labels, titles, etc. Other things we might call ambiguous include the themes, symbols, or endings in books and movies. And you might talk about someone's ambiguous ethnicity, or someone's ambiguous marital status, or an entire ambiguous situation. examples: It's their very ambiguity that makes horoscopes so effective: any of them could apply to anyone. "You musn't reminisce about sad memories." "Today, you'll deal with tension." "Yet the salient question is whether the governor can be indicted for his behaviour before he took office... 'The constitution is ambiguous on that point,' says Michael Wolff, a retired judge of the Missouri Supreme Court." —The Economist, 17 May 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "ambiguous" means when you can explain it without saying "indeterminate" or "open to multiple interpretations." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "I always thought _____ meant _____. Then I realized how ambiguous (it/they) (is/are) when I heard another interpretation: _____." Example: "I always thought the lyrics to Sister Hazel's 'All For You'--'It's hard to say what it is I see in you'--meant that the speaker wasn't sure why he even liked his girlfriend. Then I realized how ambiguous they are when I heard another interpretation: that the speaker felt so deeply that couldn't even put into words why he loved his girlfriend." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Uncommon Opposites! In each issue this month, I'll give you a rare word and its definition, and you come up with its more familiar opposite. For example, if I say, "To exfiltrate is to secretly withdraw people from a dangerous situation," then you come up with the opposite: "infiltrate." Or if I say, "An allograph is something written by someone other than the person concerned," then you come up with "autograph." We'll take these in order from easy to hard as the month goes on. Ready? From our previous issue: An aubade is a song sung at dawn. Etymologically speaking, what’s the opposite?  Answer: A serenade. (The word "serenade" comes from Italian serenata, "an evening song," literally "calm sky.") Try this today: Fenestration can mean "an arrangement of windows" or "the formation of a hole, like in surgery." What’s a near opposite? Actually, let's not even say "near opposite;" let's say, what's a totally different concept, but it's still related to windows, and it looks like it could be the opposite? :) review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of AMBIGUOUS is UNAMBIGUOUS. But a close opposite of AMBIGUOUS is A. DEFINITE. B. REALISTIC. C. POSSIBLE. 2. The story concludes ambiguously, leaving readers _____. A. to weep over Jonas's tragic death B. unsure whether Jonas reached his destination or died trying C. eager for the sequel, wondering if Jonas's destination will be any better than the world he left Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B