Have you ever been accused of being ambiguous? It means you’re being unclear or inexact. Ambiguity is a funny thing. Sometimes, people do it on purpose. Other times, they don’t know they’re doing it. Sometimes, people enjoy a little ambiguity because it feels like you’re solving a puzzle. Other times, they find it annoying and want you to just “come out with it.”
In speech and writing, however, ambiguity can be a useful tool. In your speech, you might want to use ambiguity to make your audience consider things for themselves. In a creative writing piece, you’ll be dealing with some sort of conflict, climax, and resolution. Within that story arc lies the opportunity to be a bit ambiguous while setting the stage for the conclusion.
Together, let’s explore a few examples of ambiguity. We’ll see how it’s used and how you can add it to your toolkit for your next big piece.