What does ambiguity me

Share Flipboard Email. Richard Nordquist. English and Rhetoric Professor. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks.

Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Nordquist, Richard. Definition and Examples of Ambiguity. Lexical Ambiguity Definition and Examples. Pun: Definition and Examples in English. Imitation in Rhetoric and Composition. Hypostatization Fallacy: Ascribing Reality to Abstractions. These two terms are also akin to equivocation , meaning the same term is used in more than one way. Writing is, indeed, a craft. It comes with a toolkit full of rhetorical devices, including ambiguity and fallacies.

Beyond this, we can also explore alliteration , analogies , epithets, metaphors , personification , and more. Why not choose to focus on one of these devices and see if you can incorporate it into your next piece?

It will send your readers down a colorful path of intrigue and interest. All rights reserved. Each of these general examples of ambiguity can carry double meanings: Marcy got the bath ready for her daughter wearing a pink tutu. Was Marcy wearing the tutu?

Or was her daughter? Was the chicken good or bad? Call me a taxi, please. Is the speaker asking someone to hail them a taxi or to be called a taxi? Stop trying to push the envelope. Is someone trying to push the boundaries in a current situation or literally push an envelope across a desk?

I saw someone on the hill with a telescope. Did you use a telescope to see someone on the hill or did you see someone on the hill holding a telescope?

Stockton Stockton ends this story with a ton of ambiguity. Exhaustion was pressing upon and overpowering her. They are: Lexical ambiguity Syntactic ambiguity. Lexical Ambiguity Lexical ambiguity presents two or more possible meanings within a single word.

Syntactic Ambiguity Syntactic ambiguity presents two or more possible meanings within a sentence or phrase. Fallacy Ambiguity also borders on another rhetorical device: fallacy.

Essential Meaning of ambiguity. Full Definition of ambiguity. Where Ambiguity Comes From It might not be immediately clear unless you are fluent in Latin how ambiguity "uncertainty" and ambidextrous "using both hands with equal ease" are connected, aside from the fact that they both begin with the same four letters.

Examples of ambiguity in a Sentence A third factor amping your desire to speed things along: Despite the euphoria of those first kisses and dates, the initial stages of infatuation can be incredibly unsettling.

The chapter in which Ridley addresses the ambiguities of this slippery word is an expository tour de force. He considers seven possible meanings of gene as used in different contexts: a unit of heredity; an interchangeable part of evolution; a recipe for a metabolic product; … a development switch; a unit of selection; and a unit of instinct. While it is true that the agreement papered over some unsolvable problems and contained ambiguities and loopholes, it had been conceived as a pragmatic compromise, and it did succeed in preserving the peace in Germany for one generation.

Anderson , On the Verge of War , Her letters and diaries describe her own feelings of insecurity and worries about her possible fate if she could no longer work, and they also tell us a great deal about the ambiguity of her position within the society in which she lived, and her determination to defend and maintain her own status.

Recent Examples on the Web The hallmark of a good venture fund rests in its commitment to assist its portfolio companies to grow and to enable its CEOs navigate ambiguity , inherent to an early-stage company. First Known Use of ambiguity 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a. Learn More About ambiguity.

Time Traveler for ambiguity The first known use of ambiguity was in the 14th century See more words from the same century. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster.

Phrases Related to ambiguity moral ambiguity. Style: MLA.