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unclarity

unclarity

7.7
Information or speech that is hard to understand and causes confusion
  • noun
  • /ʌnˈklærɪti/
translation icon : falta de claridad
  • Given the unclarity of the nature and scope of the liability to be imposed by the Directive, as well as the fact that the proposal does not provide for a ceiling on the producer's liability, it is questionable whether insurance will even be available from commercial insurance companies to cover such liability.

And she says all of these stories are explorations of such matters, unclarities, balances and imbalances, moral choices.

Examples

  • The teacher explained the topic clearly, but the unclarity of the textbook made it difficult for students to understand.

  • The unclarity of all this testifies to the opacity of the whole advertising system to users, and even to the media through which ads are placed.

    Blog text (14)
  • And she says all of these stories are explorations of such matters, unclarities, balances and imbalances, moral choices.

  • He sees Castaneda surrendering control over his text by presenting unclarities for what they are, a maneuver that allows for a mature response in the reader.

    Academic text (1992)
  • They addressed the unclarity in the instructions before starting the project to ensure everyone was on the same page.

  • The report's unclarity left many employees confused about the new policies being implemented.

Synonyms

confusion
vsunclarity
389 1.8

A time when things are not organized and people do not know what to think or do

is about unclear meaning of something, not a person's mental state
ambiguity
vsunclarity
57 6.3

A lack of clear meaning that allows people to understand it in different ways

refers to unclear or hard to understand without implying multiple meanings
vagueness
vsunclarity
8 6.1

Lack of clear or exact meaning that makes things hard to understand

focuses on difficulty understanding rather than mere imprecision
incoherence
vsunclarity
5 7.3

Speech or writing that is unclear and hard to follow

is about being unclear without requiring disorganization
incomprehension
vsunclarity
4 6.9

A feeling of not being able to understand something

describes the unclear thing itself rather than the person's inability
incomprehensibility
vsunclarity
1 9.9

A state where something is very hard to understand

refers more broadly to being unclear or difficult rather than impossible
inscrutability
vsunclarity
1 9.9

A quality that you cannot understand or know the reasons for

means unclear in general without implying complete impenetrability
unintelligibility
vsunclarity
1 9.9

Something that is very hard to understand

covers unclear things that may still be somewhat understandable
inexplicability
vsunclarity
1 9.8

A state when something cannot be explained or understood

focuses on general difficulty of understanding rather than unexplainability
indecipherability
vsunclarity
1 9.9

A difficulty understanding handwriting, signs, or codes

applies to understanding more generally, not only readable codes
incoherency
vsunclarity
1 7.5

A lack of clear, organized speech or writing that makes it hard to follow

covers unclear states that may remain logically connected
unclearness
vsunclarity
7.7

A situation when something is hard to understand

is the general description of that same difficulty
opaqueness
vsunclarity
  • Formal
8.7

How hard it is to understand something because its meaning is unclear

is a wider term not limited to obscurity as the cause
abstrusity
vsunclarity
  • Formal
9.9

The quality of being very difficult to understand because it is complex

is simpler, covering any unclear or hard to understand state
confusedness
vsunclarity
6.5

A feeling of not thinking or acting clearly

describes the unclear quality of content rather than the person's confusion
equivocalness
vsunclarity
9.5

A situation where something has more than one meaning and causes confusion

is broader, covering any difficulty in understanding, not only multiple meanings
nebulosity
vsunclarity
9.9

A state of being unclear and hard to understand

is about mutual difficulty understanding, not only vagueness of form
indefinity
vsunclarity
9.9

The state of being vague or not clear

emphasizes general lack of clarity rather than just imprecise definition

Antonyms

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

7 6.0

Clear thinking or speech that is easy to understand

How Clear

clarity
152 3.0
unclarity
7.7
vagueness
8 6.1
obscurity
5 7.4

Surface Forms

unclarity singular
unclarities plural

Morphology

unclarity = clarity (transparent) = un + clarity

The formation is a direct negation of 'clarity' by 'un-', giving the meaning 'not clear' (difficult to understand), which is compositional.

Etymology

Unclarity comes from the prefix un- meaning 'not' and clarity, from Latin clarus 'clear', the same root as clear and clarify. So unclarity means an idea or explanation that is 'not clear' and hard to understand.