different between perspicuous vs unambiguous

English

Etymology

From Latin perspicuus, in turn from perspici? (“see through”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p??sp?kju??s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /p??sp?kju??s/

Adjective

perspicuous (comparative more perspicuous, superlative most perspicuous)

1. Clearly expressed, easy to understand; lucid.
   • 1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, Book I, Chapter 4,

     I am always willing to run some hazard of being tedious in order to be sure that I am perspicuous […]

2. (logic) Of a language or notation, such as that of formal propositional calculus: where the process of inference from premises to conclusion is explicitly laid out.
3. (rare) Transparent; translucent.

Synonyms

• (clearly expressed): See also Thesaurus:comprehensible
• (transparent): See also Thesaurus:transparent

Antonyms

• (clearly expressed): See also Thesaurus:incomprehensible
• (transparent): See also Thesaurus:opaque
• imperspicuous

Derived terms

• perspicuously
• perspicuousness

Related terms

Translations

References

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

English

Etymology

un- +? ambiguous

Adjective

unambiguous (comparative more unambiguous, superlative most unambiguous)

1. clear, and having no uncertainty or ambiguity

   • An LR(k) grammar is clearly unambiguous, since the definition
     implies every derivation tree must have the same handle, and by induc-
     tion there is only one possible tree. It is interesting to point out further-
     more that nearly every grammar which is known to be unambiguous is
     either an LR(k) grammar, or (dually) is a right-to-left translatable
     grammar, or is some grammar which is translated using "both ends to-
     ward the middle." Thus, the LR(k) condition may be regarded as the most
     powerful general test for nonambiguity that is now available.

Synonyms

• explicit, monosemous, unequivocal; see also Thesaurus:explicit

Antonyms

• ambiguous, equivocal, vague

Related terms

• unambiguity

Translations