prevarication

[ pri-var-i-key-shuhn ]
See synonyms for prevarication on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of prevaricating, or lying: Seeing the expression on his mother's face, Nathan realized this was no time for prevarication.

  2. a false or deliberate misstatement; lie: Her many prevarications had apparently paid off; she was free to go.

Origin of prevarication

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Middle French, from Latin praevāricātiō-, stem of praevāricātiō “collusion,” equivalent to praevāricāt(us), past participle of praevāricārī “to collude something, (of an advocate) collude with an opponent's advocate” + -iō -ion; prevaricate

Words Nearby prevarication

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use prevarication in a sentence