different between indistinct vs ambiguous

English

Etymology

From Middle French indistinct, from Latin indistinctus

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /??nd?s?t??kt/

Adjective

indistinct (comparative more indistinct, superlative most indistinct)

1. (of an image etc) not clearly defined or not having a sharp outline; faint or dim

   Synonyms: fuzzy, ill-defined; see also Thesaurus:indistinct

2. (of a thought, idea etc) hazy or vague

   Synonyms: ambiguous, equivocal; see also Thesaurus:vague

3. (of speech) difficult to understand through being muffled or slurred

Antonyms

• distinct

Translations

French

Etymology

From Latin indist?nctus.

Adjective

indistinct (feminine singular indistincte, masculine plural indistincts, feminine plural indistinctes)

1. not distinct; not easily distinguishable

Further reading

• “indistinct” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Romanian

Etymology

From French indistinct, from Latin indistinctus.

Adjective

indistinct m or n (feminine singular indistinct?, masculine plural indistinc?i, feminine and neuter plural indistincte)

1. indistinct

Declension

English

Etymology

From Latin ambiguus (“moving from side to side, of doubtful nature”), from ambigere (“to go about, wander, doubt”), from ambi- (“around, about, on both sides”) + agere (“to drive, move”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æm?b??ju?s/

Adjective

ambiguous (comparative more ambiguous, superlative most ambiguous)

1. Open to multiple interpretations.

   Synonym: equivocal

   Antonym: unambiguous

2. (obsolete, of persons) Hesitant; uncertain; not taking sides.
   • 1662 Thomas Salusbury

     And forasmuch as in this same question I am ambiguous, and Simplicius is resolute....

Related terms

• ambages
• ambiguity
• ambiguate
• ambiguation
• disambiguation

Translations

See also

• contradictory
• mistakable
• confusing

Further reading

• ambiguous in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• ambiguous in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

References

• John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “ambiguous”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN