1. Open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; equivocal: "She gave us an ambiguous answer instead of a clear explanation."
2. Of a doubtful or uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, to distinguish, or to classify: "We found a rock with ambiguous features."
3. Lacking clearness or definiteness; obscure; indistinct: "With all of the wars going on, we seem to have an ambiguous future."
4. Etymology: from Latin ambiguus, "having double meanings, shifting, changeable, doubtful"; derived from ambigere, "to dispute about"; literally, "to wander"; from ambi-, "about" + agere, "to drive, to lead, to act".

Ambivalent refers to people and their attitudes while ambiguous refers to something said or written.

Word History

Latin amb-, "about, around," combined with agere, "to drive", formed ambigere, literally, "to drive around, to waver". Out of this word grew the Latin ambiguus, "hesitating, uncertain". English borrowed it as ambiguous, with the meaning "equivocal, capable of being understood in either of two or more possible senses, vague."

1. The state or quality of being ambiguous, or being open to multiple interpretations.
2. Characterized by being vague and unclear.