prevaricate

play

verb pre·var·i·cate \ pri-ˈver-ə-ˌkāt , -ˈva-rə- \

Definition of prevaricate

prevaricated; prevaricating

intransitive verb

:to deviate from the truth :equivocate

—

prevarication

play \-ˌver-ə-ˈkā-shən, -ˈva-rə-\ noun

—

prevaricator

play \-ˈver-ə-ˌkā-tər, -ˈva-rə-\ noun

See prevaricate defined for English-language learners

See prevaricate defined for kids

prevaricate was our Word of the Day on 08/28/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of prevaricate in a Sentence

Government officials prevaricated about the real costs of the project.
during the hearings the witness was willing to prevaricate in order to protect his friend

Recent Examples of prevaricate from the Web

Yes, Trump can delay, prevaricate, obfuscate, annoy and even shut down federal science.

— jeffrey sachs, CNN, "US faces disgrace if Trump drops Paris climate pact," 31 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prevaricate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Prevaricate and its synonyms "lie" and "equivocate" all refer to playing fast and loose with the truth. "Lie" is the bluntest of the three. When you accuse someone of lying, you are saying he or she was intentionally dishonest, no bones about it. "Prevaricate" is less accusatory and softens the bluntness of "lie," usually implying that someone is evading the truth rather than purposely making false statements. "Equivocate" is similar to "prevaricate," but it generally implies that someone is deliberately using words that have more than one meaning as a way to conceal the truth.

Origin and Etymology of prevaricate

Latin praevaricatus, past participle of praevaricari to act in collusion, literally, to straddle, from prae- + varicare to straddle, from varus bowlegged

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1625

See Words from the same year