weasel word

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noun

a word used to temper the forthrightness of a statement; a word that makes one's views equivocal, misleading, or confusing.

Origin of weasel word

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Related formswea·sel-word·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for weasel word

dodge, evasion, waffling

Examples from the Web for weasel word

Historical Examples of weasel word

There it was again, Merrick thought, the weasel-word 'compromise.'
Turning Point
Alfred Coppel

Idioms and Phrases with weasel word

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]