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
Relevance
1
as in ambiguity
deliberate evasion in speech
your equivocation when asked where you were last night is not reassuring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguousness
the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning
the equivocation of the last line of the poem, "That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of equivocate
Tom Tapp, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2025
For all the shortcomings in this nationwide effort, most Germans today set an example of remorse that shames Turkish nationalist leaders equivocating about the Armenian genocide, or rightist Japanese politicians visiting the Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo that honors Class A war criminals.
—Gary J. Bass, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
The Rios-Pineda Court observed, with little question or equivocation, that because the child was born in the United States, the child was in fact a citizen.
—Madison Czopek, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for equivocate
Verb
Asked in a recent interview with Vanity Fair if homophobia limited his opportunities, Lane equivocated a bit and then offered one specific example.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2025
For all the shortcomings in this nationwide effort, most Germans today set an example of remorse that shames Turkish nationalist leaders equivocating about the Armenian genocide, or rightist Japanese politicians visiting the Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo that honors Class A war criminals.
—Gary J. Bass, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Noun
The debate has pitted New York mayor, Eric Adams, who has condemned the murder without equivocation, against a significant groundswell of support for the alleged murderer.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
The Rios-Pineda Court observed, with little question or equivocation, that because the child was born in the United States, the child was in fact a citizen.
—Madison Czopek, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for equivocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocate
Verb
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Trying to weasel things by providing additional levels is abhorrent.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
20 Nov. 2024
-
But when Douglas doesn’t invite her to the business dinner, the show suddenly takes a turn into wacky sitcom territory, with Maxine trying to weasel her way into Douglas’s business to meet and invite the Prince to the Beach Ball.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2024
Noun
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Be sure to make these documents easy to access and refer to for reference, which will reduce ambiguity and misinterpretations.—
Liz Guthridge,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
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This spring, the London theatre shimmers with this kind of ambiguity—real king, false king, portrait, mirror.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The back-and-forth over tariffs shook confidence in U.S. leadership, exposed fractures within Trump’s team and rattled companies that rely on global sources for products and international customers for sales.—
Time,
Time,
10 Apr. 2025
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Trump's punishing tariffs have shaken a global trading order that has persisted for decades, raised fears of recession, and driven worldwide stocks sharply downward.—
Joe Cash and Trevor Hunnicutt,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In 2021, Congress passed a bill authorizing TSA to develop a pilot program that could end the recheck shuffle stateside.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
25 Mar. 2025
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Offensive linemen: The shuffle continues with several players crosstraining: Olaus Alinen, Casey Poe and Michael Carroll, who were recruited to play interior positions, are getting tackle reps to help with depth.—
Kennington Smith III,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Here, instead, she’s swayed by a dead Diana softly squeezing her hand and kindly hinting — the dead Diana is an ace at tactful circumlocution — that now is the time to show a mourning nation some emotion.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
16 Nov. 2023
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By condensing Balzac’s opus to a few paragraphs, Barthelme was having a laugh not just at his predecessor’s genteel circumlocution—his tendency to describe buildings and manufacturing procedures and family trees in lavish detail—but also at the conventions of novelistic mimesis itself.—
Giles Harvey,
The New York Review of Books,
23 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Equivocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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