equivocate

verb

equiv·​o·​cate i-ˈkwi-və-ˌkāt 

equivocated; equivocating

intransitive verb

1

: to use equivocal language especially with intent to deceive

2

: to avoid committing oneself in what one says

equivocator

i-ˈkwi-və-ˌkā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• fudge
• hedge
• pussyfoot
• tergiversate
• waffle
• weasel

Choose the Right Synonym for equivocate

lie, prevaricate, equivocate, palter, fib mean to tell an untruth.

lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty.

lied about where he had been

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

during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

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

palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises.

a swindler paltering with his investors

fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.

fibbed about the price of the new suit

Examples of equivocate in a Sentence

The applicant seemed to be equivocating when we asked him about his last job.

When asked about her tax plan, the candidate didn't equivocate.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

An India that equivocated on Ukraine cannot blame others for responding with the same indifference if China decided to teach it a lesson and redraw the Chinese-Indian border by force. —Shashi Tharoor, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2022

In December, testifying before a House committee hearing on antisemitism on college campuses, three elite-university presidents equivocated when Elise Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman from New York, asked them whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the rules on their campuses. —Charles Homans Gabra Zackman Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 29 May 2024

Pressed by Jake Tapper on whether Mr. Biden should debate this year, Mr. Coons equivocated. —Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

equivocate

verb

equiv·​o·​cate i-ˈkwiv-ə-ˌkāt 

equivocated; equivocating

: to use equivocal language especially to deceive

also : to avoid giving a definite answer

equivocation

-ˌkwiv-ə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

equivocator

-ˈkwiv-ə-ˌkāt-ər 

noun