prevaricate

American  

[pri-var-i-keyt] / prɪˈvær ɪˌkeɪt /

verb (used without object)

• prevaricates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• prevaricated,
  past participle,  past
• prevaricating
  present participle

1. to speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie.

   Synonyms:

   shift, evade

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prevaricate British  

/ prɪˈværɪˌkeɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to speak or act falsely or evasively with intent to deceive

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prevarication
  noun
• prevaricator
  noun
• prevaricative
  adjective
• prevaricatory
  adjective
• unprevaricating
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• prevaricating
  present
• prevaricated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• prevaricate
  simple
• prevaricates
  simple
• have prevaricated
  perfect
• has prevaricated
  perfect
• am prevaricating
  progressive
• are prevaricating
  progressive
• is prevaricating
  progressive
• have been prevaricating
  perfect progressive
• has been prevaricating
  perfect progressive

Past

• prevaricated
  simple
• had prevaricated
  perfect
• was prevaricating
  progressive
• were prevaricating
  progressive
• had been prevaricating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will prevaricate
  simple
• will have prevaricated
  perfect
• will be prevaricating
  progressive
• will have been prevaricating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of prevaricate

1575–85; < Latin praevāricātus, past participle of praevāricārī to straddle something, (of an advocate) collude with an opponent's advocate, equivalent to prae- pre- + vāricāre to straddle, derivative of vārus bent outwards, bow-legged

Explanation

When you prevaricate, you lie or mislead. Now, go ahead and tell me whether you already knew that meaning, and don’t prevaricate about it — give me the story straight! While prevaricate basically means to lie, it also has the sense of making it hard to know exactly what the lie was. You talk in a confusing way, go back and forth, and as deliberately as possible mislead someone. Government officials, bureaucrats, and sneaky types prevaricate in the hopes that it will be too difficult to figure out whether they've been doing something wrong. Don't prevaricate with your parents — it will definitely make you look guilty, but they just won't be sure of what!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prevaricate prevaricates prevaricated prevaricating

While Mr. Rees is keen to dispel the myths ginned up by imperial writers, he doesn’t prevaricate when the evidence shows that their fears may not have been entirely unfounded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

That suggests Sir Keir won't prevaricate in offering his own judgement about Sir Laurie Magnus's findings once he himself has them.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025

So, why did the three college presidents prevaricate when asked how they would respond to such language?

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2023

You can equivocate, or dissemble, or palter, or mislead, or prevaricate, or fib, or perjure.

From Washington Post ● May 3, 2021

He gained the name of being an eccentric preacher, as most preachers do who never prevaricate and always speak as they think.

From Talkers With Illustrations by John Bate

"Yes. Mm-hmm. Yes. We just need to respect our viewership," he prevaricates.

From Salon ● May 15, 2023

It leaves Wickremesinghe nominally in charge but on an acting basis, as Gotabaya prevaricates over formally rescinding his role.

From Reuters ● Jul. 13, 2022

"Oh, you can't sum up Tom Jones in four words, you just can't," he prevaricates.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2019

And in doing so, she congenitally lies and prevaricates — and gets caught in those lies and prevarications,” Mr. Klein says.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 21, 2015

She's muddled, she palpably prevaricates; so I can't positively, from her observation, give you an hour.

From Embarrassments by Henry James

“This is not about separating what we built together,” prevaricated Comcast co-CEO Brian Roberts, explaining a deal that’s all about separating what was previously put together.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

He is coming into the tournament off a short run-up after England flatlined under his predecessor Eddie Jones and the Rugby Football Union prevaricated over P45s.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2023

Ramaphosa acted decisively against COVID-19 in 2020 - imposing some of the world's toughest restrictions and expanding social welfare to prevent hunger - but has prevaricated on other contentious policy issues.

From Reuters ● Aug. 5, 2022

The truth is that I prevaricated, just a little, on where to put Liverpool.

From New York Times ● Aug. 20, 2021

It was a small matter, but, as Mrs. Appel declared indignantly, it is trifles that betray character, and Mrs. Budlong was treated with marked coldness by the ladies to whom she had prevaricated.

From The Dude Wrangler by Caroline Lockhart

After days of conflicting statements and prevaricating, he sent Leavitt out to offer a message that was sure to make everyone mad: He will decide in "two weeks."

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2025

Following years of prevaricating, Germany pledged to quit nuclear power definitively after Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster sent radiation spewing into the air and terrifying the world.

From Reuters ● Apr. 14, 2023

In short, the agency put forth a rule that addresses the problem head-on without prevaricating or kowtowing to corporate America.

From Slate ● Jan. 10, 2023

In some ways, it’s the opposite of Hamlet, who is prevaricating and trying to figure out what he should do.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2022

Repelled by those whom he now designated as spurious, servile, and prevaricating liberals, he turned to the powerful German with whom he thought himself in sympathy.

From The History of Freedom by John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron Acton