ambiguity.

The presence of more than one plausible interpretation or meaning in an expression, situation or account.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• deliberate ambiguity
• ambiguity of meaning

On the page

The ending preserved ambiguity without leaving the characters’ immediate choices obscure.

A small ambiguity in the instruction produced two different but defensible interpretations.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Singular ambiguity; plural ambiguities. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, interpretation, contrast, characterization. Disciplines: prose writing, literary analysis, advanced general English. Commonness: moderately common.