Thesaurus results for EQUIVOCATE

Q: How does the verb 'equivocate' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of equivocate are fib , lie , palter , and prevaricate . While all these words mean "to tell an untruth," equivocate implies using words having more than one sense so as to seem to say one thing but intend another. // equivocated endlessly in an attempt to mislead her inquisitors

Q: When might 'fib' be a better fit than 'equivocate'?

While in some cases nearly identical to equivocate , fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth. // fibbed about the price of the new suit

Q: When is it sensible to use 'lie' instead of 'equivocate'?

While the synonyms lie and equivocate are close in meaning, lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty. // lied about where he had been

Q: Where would 'palter' be a reasonable alternative to 'equivocate'?

The synonyms palter and equivocate are sometimes interchangeable, but palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises. // a swindler paltering with his investors

Q: How do 'prevaricate' and 'lie' relate to one another, in the sense of 'equivocate'?

Prevaricate softens the bluntness of lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue. // during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

equivocate

verb

i-ˈkwi-və-ˌkāt

Definition of equivocate next

as in to weasel

to avoid giving a definite answer or position the candidate equivocated as long as he could on controversial issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb equivocate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of equivocate are fib, lie, palter, and prevaricate. While all these words mean "to tell an untruth," equivocate implies using words having more than one sense so as to seem to say one thing but intend another.

equivocated endlessly in an attempt to mislead her inquisitors

When might fib be a better fit than equivocate?

While in some cases nearly identical to equivocate, fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.

fibbed about the price of the new suit

When is it sensible to use lie instead of equivocate?

While the synonyms lie and equivocate are close in meaning, lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty.

lied about where he had been

Where would palter be a reasonable alternative to equivocate?

The synonyms palter and equivocate are sometimes interchangeable, but palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises.

a swindler paltering with his investors

How do prevaricate and lie relate to one another, in the sense of equivocate?

Prevaricate softens the bluntness of lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue.

during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of equivocate Told unequivocally that the atmosphere at Columbia was hostile, Shafik equivocated — until the anarchy escalated to the point that the university had no choice but to call in the NYPD. —

The Editors, National Review, 16 Aug. 2024 Lots of politicians equivocate about U.S. alliances with dubious Middle Eastern allies. —

Jim Geraghty, Washington Post, 31 July 2024 Get Citation Request Reprint Permissions Play Download Article In February, as Russian tanks rolled across the Ukrainian border and Russian missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities, India equivocated. —

Shashi Tharoor, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2022 Maybe this equivocating is a marker of what the tech industry’s gargantuan lobbying campaigns have bought — an eye-watering $70 million on Congress alone as of 2022, outstripping stalwarts like oil and pharmaceuticals, without even counting surging state-level lobbying expenditures. —

New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for equivocate