weasel word
noun
a word used to temper the forthrightness of a statement; a word that makes one's views equivocal, misleading, or confusing.
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Origin of weasel word
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
OTHER WORDS FROM weasel word
wea·sel-word·ed, adjectiveWords nearby weasel word
wearproof, weary, weasand, weasel, weasel out, weasel word, weasel words, weaselly, weather, weather advisory, weather balloon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for weasel words
weasel words
pl n
informal intentionally evasive or misleading speech; equivocation
Derived forms of weasel words
weasel-worded, adjectiveWord Origin for weasel words
C20: alluding to the weasel's supposed ability to suck an egg out of its shell without seeming to break the shell
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with weasel words
weasel word
A word used to deprive a statement of its force or evade a direct commitment, as in Calling it “organized spontaneity” is using a weasel word; “organized” has sucked the meaning out of “spontaneity.” This idiom may allude to the weasel's habit of sucking the contents out of a bird's egg, so that only the shell remains. [Late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.