different between indistinguishable vs ambiguous

English

Etymology

in- +? distinguishable

Adjective

indistinguishable (comparative more indistinguishable, superlative most indistinguishable)

1. Not distinguishable; not capable of being perceived, known, or discriminated as separate and distinct
   • Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic — Arthur C. Clarke [1]
2. Not capable of being perceived or known.

Antonyms

• distinguishable
• (not capable of being perceived as separate and distinct): fuzzy, ill-defined, indistinct; see also Thesaurus:indistinct
• (not capable of being perceived): invisible, undetectable

Related terms

• indistinguishability

Translations

Noun

indistinguishable (plural indistinguishables)

1. Any of a set of things that cannot be distinguished.

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