Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Able to use both hands with equal facility.
- adj. Unusually skillful; adroit.
- adj. Deceptive or hypocritical.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Having the faculty of using both hands with equal ease and dexterity; hence, skilful; facile.
- Practising or siding with both parties; double-dealing; deceitful.
Wiktionary
- adj. Having equal ability in both hands; in particular, able to write equally well with both hands.
- adj. Of a person, bisexual.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Having the faculty of using both hands with equal ease.
- adj. Practicing or siding with both parties.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. equally skillful with each hand
- adj. marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another
Etymologies
- Alteration of archaic ambidexter, from Middle English, double dealer, from Medieval Latin : Latin ambi-, on both sides; see ambi- + Latin dexter, right-handed; see deks- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“I hate to use the term ambidextrous because how many people really are?”
“The company on Thursday said it may pursue what it calls an "ambidextrous" strategy that would allow it to offer chips that include circuitry developed by other companies as well as its own.”
The Wall Street Journal: AMD Will Incorporate Others' Technology in Its Chips
“Well the word ambidextrous means "both as right" meaning that you can use both hands like non-sinister people use their right hands.”
Poll: Dems Not Rattled By "Centrist" Or "Bipartisan" Cabinet Picks
“And what do they call ambidextrous people, "Amby"?”
“The symmetry also makes it ambidextrous, which is great for any left / right-handed families that share a home computer.”
“You would give your right arm to be "ambidextrous" .. would that make you ambidextrous?”
“Pages tagged "ambidextrous" 5:51 pm on July 19, 2008 | # | Reply”
“The "ambidextrous" part means it each multi-mag carrier can be worn on either side of the body.”
“Main-Focus Sights", ambidextrous "Maximum Reach Magazine Release" buttons, "Minimal Error Disassembly" takedown lever, a loaded chamber indicator, a striker status indicator, an Ultra Safety Assurance (USA) trigger safety, grip safety, and "Multi-Adjust Rail System”
“#7 is NOT bullshit. and people don't have 'ambidextrous' minds.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ambidextrous’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
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Adjectives
sagacious, average, angry, mad, crazy, giant, ugly, pretty, happy, sad, lonely, solitary and 119 more...
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panvowels
Words that contain every vowel.
ambidextrous, cauliflower, exhaustion, mustachioed, postneuralgic, sulphogermanic, tambourine, troublemaking, ulceration, undisprovable, unproblematic, pneumonia and 1 more...
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Ambidextrous words
Words with letters a-m in the left half and n-z in the right half (suggested by oroboros on ambidextrous).
ambidextrous, affectuous, glitzy, chatty, memory, dilatory, blindstory, bimanous, aleatory, flirty, cherty, faldistory and 42 more...
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Bluraven's list
These are words that have a certain beauty about them and a gentleness on the tongue.
mellifluous, meretricious, vituperation, loquacious, auspicious, coherently, contumaciously, contumely, contumelious, perspicacity, perspicuous, obstreperous and 29 more...
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Adjectives ending with ous
facetious, ambidextrous, glamourous, ridiculous, humorous, luminous, ubiquitous, gorgeous, precious, jealous
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ambi-, ambo
both; around
oroboros Ambidextrous is ambidextrous. The first half of the word is from the left half of the alphabet; the second half from the right half. Dec 31, 2009
sonofgroucho Quite. Jan 25, 2008
asativum Doesn't it always? Jan 25, 2008
seanahan Credit belongs to Yogi Berra, I believe. Jan 25, 2008
gangerh :-) Jan 24, 2008
sonofgroucho I'd give both arms to be ambidextrous. Jan 24, 2008
gangerh (ox) I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous. Jan 24, 2008
slumry Fraid so. Well, I don't but I know someone who does. Jun 14, 2007
seanahan So you use it to mean ambivalent? Jun 14, 2007
slumry Someone uses this to mean flexible, as in "Should we pain the walls orange or purple?"
"I'm ambidextrous"
It kind of grows on a person. . . Jun 14, 2007