Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
Start by reviewing the definition of a vague word. A vague word is one that has an indefinite denotation. This indefinite denotation is the expression of one particular sense of a meaning.
Step2
Review the definition of an ambiguous word. An ambiguous word is one that has the possibility of many different denotations.
Step3
Look at an example of a vague word.
The word “child” is vague because it does not define whether the child is a male or a female, though either one still has the same general definition of a young human.
Step4
Look at an example of an ambiguous word.
The word “bright” is ambiguous because it has the possibility to have two entirely different meanings depending upon the context in which it appears. It can refer to the intelligence of a human or the amount of light in a particular environment.
Step5
If you are still unclear on the difference between vagueness and ambiguity, consider the word “triangle." When “triangle” refers to the shape it is vague because it does not define whether the triangle is a right triangle an obtuse triangle or a scalene triangle. However, the word “triangle” can also be ambiguous because without context you cannot tell if the word is referring to the shape, the musical instrument or the artistic drawing tool.