Word Confusion: Ambiguous versus Equivocal

Posted January 29, 2019 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
20 June 2023

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While both ambiguous and equivocal are of a doubtful and unclear nature, ambiguous is more innocent in its inexactness. Equivocal (for all it sounds like equality) is much more suspicious with an intent to deceive.

You may also want to explore “Ambiguous versus Ambivalent“.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Ambiguous	Equivocal
Ambiguous Imperative by psd is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Foter.com. — It’s ambiguous all right. I can’t tell if I’m to stop because there are running children, or if those running kids should stop.	And He’s Telling Me It’s Safe . . . courtesy of US Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Foter.com. — An equivocal situation . . . if it’s safe, why do I need this?
Part of Grammar:
Adjective	Adjective
[Of language] Open to more than one interpretation Having more than one possible meaning Unclear or inexact because a choice between alternatives has not been made Equivocal Of doubtful or uncertain nature Difficult to comprehend, distinguish, or classify Lacking clearness or definiteness Obscure Indistinct	Allowing the possibility of several different meanings, as a word or phrase, especially with intent to deceive or misguide Susceptible of double interpretation Uncertain or questionable in nature Deliberately ambiguous Of doubtful nature or character Questionable Dubious Suspicious Of uncertain significance Not determined
Examples:
This can result in obscurity or in a ruling which is ambiguous on matters of importance. I seem to remember the novel being a bit more ambiguous than that. Whether their other plans are ambiguous or meaningless is unclear. It’s an ambiguous performance that will leave the viewer with questions long after the lights go down. The uncertainty of the public mood was mirrored by the ambiguous nature of the government. People have ambiguous, often funny notions about this ancient system of Indian medicine. Watching the disintegration of a man’s dreams is uncomfortable, however morally ambiguous he might be.	The equivocal nature of her remarks sets me on edge. His reply was oblique, equivocal, and we hurried on to other matters. The results of the investigation were equivocal. However analysts we questioned are equivocal over the effect upon licensing costs. Carr’s attitude is both more equivocal and less consistent. His answer was equivocal as Paul said his wife didn’t want him to run. The M’daja aliens are of an equivocal loyalty. John makes me nuts with his equivocal attitude. Given the equivocal nature of the evidence, deviations from these recommendations may, and should, occur.
Derivatives:
Adjective: unambiguous Adverb: ambiguously Noun: ambiguousness	Adjective: nonequivocal Adverb: equivocally, nonequivocally Noun: equivocacy, equivocality, equivocalness, equivocation
History of the Word:
Early 16th century, in the sense of indistinct, obscure, from the Latin ambiguus meaning doubtful, from ambigere meaning waver, go around, which is from ambi- (both ways) + agere (to drive) + -ous.	Mid-16th century, from the late Latin aequivocus, which is from the Latin aequus (equally) + vocare (to call).

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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