equivocate
[ ih-kwiv-uh-keyt ]
/ ɪˈkwɪv əˌkeɪt /
verb (used without object), e·quiv·o·cat·ed, e·quiv·o·cat·ing.
to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge: When asked directly for his position on disarmament, the candidate only equivocated.
RELATED CONTENT
Why Bluster Is Dictionary’s 2012 Word Of The YearYou may recall that last year we selected a rare word, a tongue-twister of sorts, as the 2011 Word of the Year: tergiversate which means “to change repeatedly one’s attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.” Rather than pick a word that rose to prominence through common usage during the year (like Occupy or Arab Spring), we selected a word hidden …
RELATED WORDS
pussyfoot, shuffle, fence, sidestep, waffle, elude, evade, escape, prevaricate, lie, fib, flip-flop, fudge, falsify, dodge, tergiversate, palter, parry, cavil, hedge
Nearby words
- equivalent focal length,
- equivalent weight,
- equivalve,
- equivocal,
- equivocally,
- equivocation,
- equivocator,
- equivoque,
- equuleus,
- er
Origin of equivocate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for equivocate
equivocate
/ (ɪˈkwɪvəˌkeɪt) /
verb
(intr) to use vague or ambiguous language, esp in order to avoid speaking directly or honestly; hedge
Word Origin for equivocate
C15: from Medieval Latin aequivocāre, from Late Latin aequivocus ambiguous, equivocal
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
equivocate
early 15c., equivocaten, from Medieval Latin equivocatus, past participle of equivocare "to call by the same name," from Late Latin aequivocus (see equivocation). Related: Equivocated; equivocating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper