prevarication
Americannoun
-
the act of prevaricating, or lying.
Seeing the expression on his mother's face, Nathan realized this was no time for prevarication.
-
a false or deliberate misstatement; lie.
Her many prevarications had apparently paid off; she was free to go.
Etymology
Origin of prevarication
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 ( def. ); prevaricate ( def. )
Explanation
Prevarication is when someone tells a lie, especially in a sneaky way. A child might use prevarication to avoid telling the whole truth about how the kitchen window got broken. While the noun prevarication is mostly just a fancy way to say "lie," it can also mean skirting around the truth, being vague about the truth, or even delaying giving someone an answer, especially to avoid telling them the whole truth. In the 16th century, the word was used to mean "going astray," or "stepping out of line." It comes from the Latin root word praevaricari, which literally translates as "walk crookedly."
Vocabulary lists containing prevarication
In Cold Blood
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Silas Marner
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Nickel and Dimed
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Prevarication will give your fellow contributors the pip.
From The Guardian • Sep. 25, 2015
"Prevarication is conviction," thought Fairlie, with a deadly chill over him.
From Beatrice Boville and Other Stories by Ouida
Prevarication is a difficult task, when time, place, and circumstances are favorable.
From Camp-Fire and Cotton-Field Southern Adventure in Time of War. Life with the Union Armies, and Residence on a Louisiana Plantation by Knox, Thomas Wallace
Prevarication, misrepresentation, and dishonesty of speech appeared in their first utterances and was as natural to them as any of their infantile diseases, and was a sort of moral croup or spiritual scarlatina.
From The Abominations of Modern Society by Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt)
And the Space Academy doesn't list the Art of Prevarication among its curricula.
From Attrition by Krenkel, Roy G.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
