Synonym Chooser

How does the verb equivocate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of equivocate are fib, lie, palter, and prevaricate. While all these words mean "to tell an untruth," 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

When might fib be a better fit than equivocate?

While in some cases nearly identical to equivocate, fib applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.

fibbed about the price of the new suit

When is it sensible to use lie instead of equivocate?

While the synonyms lie and equivocate are close in meaning, lie is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty.

lied about where he had been

Where would palter be a reasonable alternative to equivocate?

The synonyms palter and equivocate are sometimes interchangeable, but palter implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises.

a swindler paltering with his investors

How do prevaricate and lie relate to one another, in the sense of equivocate?

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

during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of equivocate And one of the things there is that there's a perception, fair or otherwise, that Democrats have equivocated about political violence from anti-Israel protestors, more recently, the killing of United Health CEO, Brian Thompson. ABC News, 5 Jan. 2025 Hoping to entice equivocating consumers, retailers already have spent weeks bombarding customers with ads and early offers. Chris Morris, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2024 Asked in a recent interview with Vanity Fair if homophobia limited his opportunities, Lane equivocated a bit and then offered one specific example. Tom Tapp, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2025 For all the shortcomings in this nationwide effort, most Germans today set an example of remorse that shames Turkish nationalist leaders equivocating about the Armenian genocide, or rightist Japanese politicians visiting the Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo that honors Class A war criminals. Gary J. Bass, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for equivocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocate
Verb
  • One of Wishman’s most Sapphic films is this gritty black-and-white sexploitation shocker about assassins who weasel their way into an apartment shared by two lesbians in order to kill a foreign dignitary.
    Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 2 June 2025
  • Trying to weasel things by providing additional levels is abhorrent.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • But the humble protein powerhouse has never seemed to be able to shake the bad reputation.
    Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 1 July 2025
  • The earth begins to shake as the animals, each one a small tank of muscle, thunder along the route at speeds of up to 20 miles an hour, scattering runners.
    Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Equivocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocate. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on equivocate

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