weasel word
noun
: a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position
Did you know?
According to weasel-lore, these sleek carnivorous mammals can suck the insides out of an egg without damaging the shell. An egg thus weasel-treated looks fine on the outside, but is actually empty and useless. Weasels cannot in fact do such a thing, but the belief that they could inspired people to use "weasel word" to refer to any term intended to create the impression of truth and candor while in fact avoiding both.
Examples of weasel word in a Sentence
“Reorganization” is just a weasel word that the company is using to say that jobs are being eliminated.
Recent Examples on the Web
Then there are weasel words, which employ vague qualifiers that dodge firm statements.
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IEEE Spectrum, 12 Aug. 2025
Far too much happens in the shadows or is obfuscated by weasel words.
—Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023
To be sure — three of my favorite weasel words — being able to sit on an inherited IRA for up to 10 years without being required to take annual distributions isn’t ungenerous.
—Allan Sloan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2020
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IEEE Spectrum, 12 Aug. 2025
Far too much happens in the shadows or is obfuscated by weasel words.
—Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023
To be sure — three of my favorite weasel words — being able to sit on an inherited IRA for up to 10 years without being required to take annual distributions isn’t ungenerous.
—Allan Sloan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Weasel word.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weasel%20word. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
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