1
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged
the evidence that this latest diet really results in lasting weight loss is certainly equivocal
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
he responded to the reporter's questions with equivocal answers or refusals to comment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unsure
having a mixture of opposing feelings
a number of people are clearly equivocal about allowing casino gambling in the state
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of equivocal
However, for higher dose, systemic estrogen therapy — which is absorbed into the blood stream — including estrogen pills, Christmas and other menopause experts are more equivocal about removing the black box warning.
—
Allison Aubrey, NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
But both the text and the history of Article II are far more equivocal than the current Court has been suggesting.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Western blot: If the ELISA is positive or equivocal, this more specific test is used to help confirm the presence of Lyme antibodies.
—Matthew Binnicker, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
And yet, by the time of Borlaug’s death, his accomplishments were looking increasingly equivocal.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for equivocal
Allison Aubrey, NPR, 11 Nov. 2025
But both the text and the history of Article II are far more equivocal than the current Court has been suggesting.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Western blot: If the ELISA is positive or equivocal, this more specific test is used to help confirm the presence of Lyme antibodies.
—Matthew Binnicker, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
And yet, by the time of Borlaug’s death, his accomplishments were looking increasingly equivocal.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for equivocal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocal
Adjective
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While the veracity of those statements is, at best, questionable, the final entry in the saga of games going to space features Microsoft’s AR HoloLens technology.—
William Worrall,
Space.com,
30 May 2026
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Borg’s aggressive send of Adames was just one of the questionable decisions Borg made in his two months as San Francisco’s third-base coach.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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The entity known as Mother is left ambiguous, as is the tree inside the Cave of Wonders, but there are hints to their true nature.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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If a serious spending-reduction effort were somehow mounted anyway, the result would likely be positive for bonds — but ambiguous for equities, since the economic drag could easily outweigh the benefit of lower interest rates.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Eagle Rock was unsure what this season would bring.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
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Many simply felt unsure about what to click next.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Even at the height of his fame, there were dubious aspects of his personal life — often self-seeded to sustain his enigma — that poked hellified holes in his impermeability as an entertainer.—
Rodney Carmichael,
NPR,
3 June 2026
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Governor Gretchen Whitmer, often touted as a viable Democratic presidential nominee, has always offered a helping hand to major corporations, even when the benefits to her constituents are dubious.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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No recent performance of Hiller’s looms as large, though, as his warmly cryptic episodic turn on Pluribus as Larry the friendly biker (complete with fabulous bike shorts).—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
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Armed with an adventure kit, participants are summoned to a secret location where they’re tasked with deciphering cryptic codes, uncovering hidden symbols, navigating shifting alliances and outwit enemies and operatives stationed around the campus.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
Adjective
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Their attempts to destroy the bourgeois family were, like the efforts of Suzanna’s mother and grandmother, ambivalent and half-hearted.—
Julius Taranto,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
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His sisters were less ambivalent.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Speech — Intimidation as censorship The First Amendment protects disputable speech, not agreeable.—
Brielle Miller,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Mar. 2026
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That disputable appraisal turned a few heads, and people began peppering the bot for further remarks on Musk’s physical prowess.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
20 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Unlike the coolly impassive Pop artists, the Who weren’t afraid to get personal, or to let their art echo the anxious, kinky, maladjusted yammering in their own heads.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Meanwhile, aggressive immigration enforcement has made some people afraid to seek care at all, worsening public health outcomes.—
Daniela Flores,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Equivocal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocal. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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