ambiguity or ambiguousness

[ostap77]

What's the difference between these two nouns? Do they mean the same?

 

[bhaisahab]

What's the difference between these two nouns? Do they mean the same?

Until I saw your post I had never seen "ambiguousness", it seems to be exclusively American and means the same as "ambiguity".

 

[ostap77]

Until I saw your post I had never seen "ambiguousness", it seems to be exclusively American and means the same as "ambiguity".

I haven't heard it either. I looked it up in a Webster's dictionary. I wonder if it's countable?

 

[BobK]

I haven't heard it either. I looked it up in a Webster's dictionary. I wonder if it's countable?

If it is, it would be a crime against humanity to use it in the plural. ;-)

b

PS I use both, but I'm not a typical British Eng speaker (having spent nearly half my life in an American corporation). For me, amibuity is a quality [quite abstract] and ambiguousness is more concrete. But the distinction - if there is one - is not clear, and I can't think of a clear example

 

[Tdol]

I do the same and never worked for an American corporation.