as in to weasel
to avoid giving a definite answer or position
the candidate equivocated as long as he could on controversial issues
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in ambiguity
deliberate evasion in speech
your equivocation when asked where you were last night is not reassuring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguousness
the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning
the equivocation of the last line of the poem, "That is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of equivocate
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
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
The Rios-Pineda Court observed, with little question or equivocation, that because the child was born in the United States, the child was in fact a citizen.
—Madison Czopek, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for equivocate
Verb
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
Noun
The debate has pitted New York mayor, Eric Adams, who has condemned the murder without equivocation, against a significant groundswell of support for the alleged murderer.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
The Rios-Pineda Court observed, with little question or equivocation, that because the child was born in the United States, the child was in fact a citizen.
—Madison Czopek, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for equivocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocate
Verb
-
Trying to weasel things by providing additional levels is abhorrent.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
20 Nov. 2024
-
But when Douglas doesn’t invite her to the business dinner, the show suddenly takes a turn into wacky sitcom territory, with Maxine trying to weasel her way into Douglas’s business to meet and invite the Prince to the Beach Ball.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2024
Noun
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And someone who struggles with change and ambiguity in a card game will probably also have an aversion to something like pluralism in politics because their brain processes that as chaotic.—
Sean Illing,
Vox,
12 May 2025
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Meanwhile, India has informally dialed back its historic no-first-use stance, creating ambiguity about its operational doctrine.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 May 2025
Verb
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RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 10 contestant Phoenix's drama with Ice Spice must've stirred too much after the season 3 queen clapped back against the guest judge's Main Stage critiques about her icon status, but the Drag Race OG hopes the rapper isn't too shaken in the aftermath.—
Joey Nolfi Published,
EW.com,
17 May 2025
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When Unique told Raq that Kanan came to him asking to team up, that shook her.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
16 May 2025
Noun
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The shuffle of who would back up franchise catcher Will Smith behind the plate came together quickly, yet signaled a shift that was a long time coming.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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The lucrative shuffle from detox to residential to outpatient to relapse and back again begins.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Here, instead, she’s swayed by a dead Diana softly squeezing her hand and kindly hinting — the dead Diana is an ace at tactful circumlocution — that now is the time to show a mourning nation some emotion.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
16 Nov. 2023
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By condensing Balzac’s opus to a few paragraphs, Barthelme was having a laugh not just at his predecessor’s genteel circumlocution—his tendency to describe buildings and manufacturing procedures and family trees in lavish detail—but also at the conventions of novelistic mimesis itself.—
Giles Harvey,
The New York Review of Books,
23 Apr. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Equivocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocate. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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