weasel word
noun
a word used to temper the forthrightness of a statement; a word that makes one's views equivocal, misleading, or confusing.
RELATED CONTENT
Weasel Words And Other Ways We Avoid Telling The TruthMost of us know what the word lying means, but what happens when someone carefully skirts the truth instead of telling a bold-faced whopper? Politicians, in particular, are well known for making use of equivocal language as a way of hiding their true actions.
Nearby words
wearproof, weary, weasand, weasel, weasel out, weasel word, weasel words, weaselly, weather, weather advisory, weather balloon
Origin of weasel word
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
Related forms
wea·sel-word·ed, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for weasel words
weasel words
pl n
informal intentionally evasive or misleading speech; equivocation
Derived Forms
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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.