Ambiguous means open to more than one reading. An ambiguous phrase, deliberately ambiguous, ambiguously worded.
It means two or more possible meanings, which is different from vague — a vague statement says too little and an ambiguous one says two things. Contracts are drafted to remove it and diplomacy sometimes to preserve it, which is called constructive ambiguity. Note unambiguous; and that the Latin means driving both ways, from ambi and agere.
1adjectiveambiguousOpen to more than one reading.
“Her reply was ambiguous; I couldn't tell whether she was angry or joking.”
ambiguous is a quality of double meaning.
Latin ambiguus comes from ambigere, to go about or waver — ambi, on both sides, plus agere, to drive. Agent, act and ambition come from the same driving.
Latin
ambiguus
English, today
ambiguous
Built from
Learned borrowing from Latin ambiguus. 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”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA