equivocate
To use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself.
Equivocate specifically relies on words that have double meanings or can be interpreted in multiple ways. It is the art of saying something that is technically true in one sense, but highly misleading in another.
Word relationships
- prevaricate: Prevaricate is dodging the truth generally, while equivocate specifically uses double-meaning words to do so.
- hedge: Hedge is more informal and often implies protecting oneself against a loss or commitment rather than outright deception.
- declare: To declare is to state something clearly, explicitly, and without any ambiguity.
Commonly confused with
- vocalize: Vocalize simply means to produce vocal sounds or express something in words, with no connotation of deceit.
Word family
- equivocation (noun): The use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth.
- equivocal (adjective): Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous.
Collocations
- equivocate on an issue
- tendency to equivocate
- without equivocating
Idioms & expressions
- speak out of both sides of one's mouth
- split hairs
Example sentences
- "The CEO chose to equivocate during the press conference, using vague terms that could be interpreted as either an apology or a defense." A corporate spokesperson addressing a public relations crisis.
- "The witches in Macbeth are famous for how they equivocate, offering prophecies that lead Macbeth to his doom through double meanings." A classic literary reference from Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Memory hook
Think of 'equal voice'. Giving 'equal voice' to two opposite meanings at the same time so you don't have to choose one. Speaking with two equal voices to hide the single truth.
When not to use
Do not use when someone is being silent or refusing to speak at all; equivocation requires active, albeit misleading, speech.
Fun facts
- In 17th-century England, 'equivocation' became a major political and religious topic during the trial of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, who used mental reservation to justify lying under oath.
Related words
Explore more words
equivocal, prevarication, subterfuge, deceitful, Circumlocutory
Also appears in
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