What's the difference between ambiguous and elusive?

Ambiguous


Definition:

  • (a.) Doubtful or uncertain, particularly in respect to signification; capable of being understood in either of two or more possible senses; equivocal; as, an ambiguous course; an ambiguous expression.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Along the spectrum of loyalties lie multiple loyalties and ambiguous loyalties, and the latter, if unresolved, create moral ambiguities.
  • (2) This examination has proved an important help in the diagnosis of all the cases of sexual ambiguity.
  • (3) Exogenous activators of PKC stimulate insulin secretion from B cells, but attempts to define a physiological role for PKC by using inhibitors of this enzyme have produced ambiguous results.
  • (4) The aza analogue (RS)-3-hydroxy-2,5-pyrrolidinedione-3-acetic acid (6) of the five-membered citric anhydride (2) was prepared in the sequence citric acid----2-phenyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-one-5,5-diacetic acid (1)----citric acid beta-amide (3)----6 and used to resolve ambiguities in the mechanism of the citrate synthase reaction.
  • (5) Results obtained with this analog can be ambiguous, since 2-DOG can be phosphorylated by hexokinases of animal cells.
  • (6) Ultrasound has also proven useful in evaluating patients with ambiguous genitalia, amenorrhea and suspected PID and also is an effective means of localizing intrauterine contraceptive devices.
  • (7) Authors have previously published April 1988 a lecture where they criticize the bad denomination "passed coma" full of ambiguity for public mind, to which "brain death" ought to be preferred.
  • (8) There were, though, large omissions and ambiguities that will need to be filled in and clarified as polling day nears.
  • (9) "Prostatic acid phosphatase" is a term that has been used widely and ambiguously to refer to acid phosphatase, which 1) is elevated in the sera of patients with various diseases of the prostate, 2) is inhibited by one or more specific inhibitors, 3) attacks one or more specific substrates, 4) has certain unique antigenic properties, 5) is extracted from homogenates of prostate, and 6) is obtained from prostate secretions, etc.
  • (10) We have Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris coming to those platforms this December, and Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition is available on PS4.” However, there is still some slight ambiguity about whether the deal is for Winter 2015 only.
  • (11) This ambiguity was resolved by using resealed ghosts, which are unable to incorporate oleic acid into phospholipids.
  • (12) This report describes a minicomputer-based translation system (TRANSOFT) that employs word order rearrangement followed by word-for-word translation and resolution of ambiguities based on context.
  • (13) Authors report a ring chromosome 18 (18 r) in a four year old boy, with low birth weight, retarded growth and development, microcephaly and plagiocephaly, horizontal nystagmus, ambiguous genitalia, clinodactyly of the fifth finger, distal axial triradius, whorls pattern in 8 fingers in dermatoglyphic.
  • (14) Membrane potential trajectories of 68 bulbar respiratory neurones from the peri-solitary and peri-ambigual areas of the brain-stem were recorded in anaesthetized cats to explore the synaptic influences of post-inspiratory neurones upon the medullary inspiratory network.
  • (15) As well, two-dimensional 15N-1H heteronuclear spectroscopy was used to resolve a number of ambiguities present in the homonuclear spectra due to resonance redundancies.
  • (16) The axon of the labeled bulbospinal neuron had axonal collaterals which were distributed within the region of the nucleus ambiguous of the ipsilateral medulla.
  • (17) Of the 406 tests there have been 85 positive, 296 negative and 25 ambiguous reports.
  • (18) In a second experiment schizophrenics were significantly different from the depressives in showing less inclination to select a metaphorical meaning to an ambiguous adjective in a sentence.
  • (19) Three-quarters of the sample was impaired on at least one of four discourse tests (knowing the alternate meanings of ambiguous words in context; getting the point of figurative or metaphoric expressions; bridging the inferential gaps between events in stereotyped social situations; and producing speech acts that express the apparent intentions of others).
  • (20) Yet, the apparent ambiguities of science confuse the courts, the juries, and the public.

Elusive


Definition:

  • (a.) Tending to elude; using arts or deception to escape; adroitly escaping or evading; eluding the grasp; fallacious.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The successful treatment of the painful neuroma remains an elusive surgical goal.
  • (2) Diagnostic difficulties were encountered due to the rarity of such infections and elusive identification of the organism with routine laboratory procedures.
  • (3) Diagnosis with light microscopy can be elusive; electron microscopic and immunohistochemical evaluation are necessary to confirm the pathological condition.
  • (4) But an agreement looks elusive, and it appears that another election will be held soon.
  • (5) Effectiveness and safety of other molecules remain elusive.
  • (6) Thus, the identity of the suppressive factor(s) in cultured I-CB cell supernatants remains elusive.
  • (7) The quality of family life is as elusive a concept as is quality of life for the individual.
  • (8) In the United States, early diagnosis and cure of gastric carcinoma remain elusive.
  • (9) Despite their functional prominence, the structural requirements of fully functional GABAA-receptors are still elusive.
  • (10) The explanation for this dramatic loss of GSH has been investigated by many laboratories but the solution has been elusive.
  • (11) While the etiology and pathogenesis of such lesions remain elusive, physicians performing hair transplantations should be aware of this potential sequela.
  • (12) Les Cafeteras began the second half in similarly determined mode and the elusive Rincón sent a shot dipping fractionally over the bar from distance.
  • (13) Never before has so much been learned about the molecular biology of a virus in such a short time since its discovery and yet effective strategies for fighting the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS remain elusive.
  • (14) With her first book, Girl Online, due out in November and an audience estimated to be 26 times that of the circulation of British Vogue, Zoella is a key example of what the advertising world call a “crowdsourced people’s champion” – one who earns hundreds of thousands of pounds a year and is paid by brands such as Unilever to connect with the ever-elusive 18-30 demographic.
  • (15) We retrospectively reviewed the MR examinations of five patients with surgically proved cervical epidural abscess in order to assist in the diagnosis of this clinically elusive disorder.
  • (16) Steroid hormone receptors are elusive, labile regulatory proteins which communicate the action of the sex hormones, estrogens and progestins, in target organs such as the breast and uterus.
  • (17) However, the principles of optimal mAb selection remain elusive, as their efficacy in vivo does not always correlate with their characteristics in vitro.
  • (18) Bacterial endocarditis is an elusive disease that challenges clinicians' diagnostic capabilities.
  • (19) The chronic inflammatory diseases in humans have been intensively investigated, however the immune mechanisms underlying diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease, and periodontal disease (PD) remain elusive.
  • (20) Three years later, the proud owner of a PG diploma in housing studies and member of the Chartered Institute of Housing, I was offered the opportunity to complete a further year's study and obtain that elusive degree.