excessive ambiguity

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "excessive ambiguity" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation or statement that is overly unclear or vague, leading to confusion or misinterpretation. Example: "The report was criticized for its excessive ambiguity, making it difficult for the team to understand the project's objectives."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

MPEG-DASH in its original specification tried to be everything to everyone and consequently suffered from excessive ambiguity (a story surely familiar to anyone acquainted with HTML5 Video).

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Some species were removed after preliminary analyses, due either to obvious sequencing errors (e.g. high BLAST homology with unrelated families or non-squamates, excessive ambiguities) or a lack of overlap in genes sampled with other members of the same genus (leading to seemingly artificial paraphyly).

BMC Evolutionary Biology

iv) Information overload: When individuals receive conflicting, incomplete, uncertain, or excessive information, they experience ambiguity and can make contradictory decisions [ 25].

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

Excess and fiscal ambiguity.

Vice

Several clutter suppression approaches have been proposed [7], but they often require high pulsed repeated frequency (PRF), which is not desirable to avoid excessive data rate and PRF ambiguity problem.

EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing

2) There seems to be excessive discussion about family 3 despite substantial ambiguity regarding the etiology of disease.

eLife

A total of 73 markers (13.5%) were excluded from linkage analysis due to excessive heterozygosity, missing data, skewed segregation or ambiguity.

BMC Plant Biology

With The Hateful Eight, Tarantino has waded instead into moral ambiguity, and the resultant violence is excessive even by his standards.

Huffington Post

We will modify our protocols in response to limitations with respect to excessive length of the interview, difficulties with comprehension or ambiguities in the questions, and personnel or data management problems identified in the pilot.

BMJ Open

No ambiguity!

The Guardian - Money

Excessive C.E.O.

The New York Times - Magazine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Consider the audience when assessing whether ambiguity is "excessive". What might be acceptable in a creative context could be problematic in a technical or legal setting.

Common error

Avoid using "excessive ambiguity" as a euphemism for poor communication or lack of clarity. While nuance is valuable, ambiguity that leads to confusion is detrimental.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "excessive ambiguity" functions as a noun phrase, where "excessive" modifies the noun "ambiguity". It describes a state or quality of being overly unclear or vague. Ludwig AI confirms the phrase's usability in English.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "excessive ambiguity" describes a state of being overly unclear. Ludwig AI indicates it's grammatically sound, though rarely used. It often appears in science and news contexts to denote a problematic lack of clarity, as seen in discussions about streaming specifications or research findings. To avoid this, clear and precise language is crucial. Alternatives like "extreme vagueness" or "undue uncertainty" can be used. When employing "excessive ambiguity", always provide specific examples.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

extreme vagueness

Focuses on the lack of clarity.

undue uncertainty

Highlights the presence of doubt and lack of confidence.

inordinate obscurity

Emphasizes the difficulty in understanding due to complexity.

overly convoluted

Focuses on the complex and confusing nature of the concept.

gratuitous opaqueness

Stresses unnecessary lack of transparency.

needless abstruseness

Highlights the unnecessary difficulty in comprehension.

unjustifiable equivocation

Focuses on the use of vague language to avoid commitment.

unwarranted inexplicitness

Emphasizes lack of clear and direct expression.

in extreme doubt

Highlights the extreme aspect of doubt.

pronounced uncertainty

Emphasizes uncertainty.

FAQs

What does "excessive ambiguity" mean?

Excessive ambiguity refers to a state where something is unclear or vague to an unnecessary or unacceptable degree, leading to confusion or multiple interpretations.

When is ambiguity considered excessive?

Ambiguity is considered excessive when it hinders understanding, leads to misinterpretations, or prevents effective communication. The threshold for "excessive" depends on the context.

What are some alternatives to "excessive ambiguity"?

You can use alternatives like "extreme vagueness", "undue uncertainty", or "inordinate obscurity" to convey similar meanings.

How can I avoid "excessive ambiguity" in my writing?

To avoid excessive ambiguity, use precise language, provide clear explanations, and consider your audience's understanding. Review your writing to identify and eliminate potential sources of confusion.