AMIVALENT VS ABIGUOUS

The Latin prefix "ambi-" means both and can refer to plurality. In ambivalent it refers to having mixed, contradictory, or more than one feeling about something. In ambiguous on the other hand, it means unclear or able to be understood in multiple ways.


If you are ambivalent about something, you feel two ways about it. 'Ambiguous', on the other hand, means "unclear or capable of being understood in two or more different ways."

Ambiguous: More than One Meaning

Ambiguous, on the other hand, isn't a word used to describe people—though it is used to describe things people do or say. It's used in cases where the meaning of something is not clear, often because it can be understood in more than one way:

The ambiguous results of the study make it plain that more research is needed.

Their offer was ambiguous; were they suggesting that I borrow the car, or rent it from them?

The word may is ambiguous: it can be about permission—"you may go"—or about possibility—"it may rain."