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tergiversating

verb

present participle of tergiversate
as in weaseling
to avoid giving a definite answer or position shamelessly tergiversating, the witness replied, "Well, it depends upon what your definition of 'truth' is"

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tergiversating
  1. shaking
  2. hedging
Verb
  • Something about this bone-shaking noise keeps hitting us right in the darkest places of the soul.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Airborne at one point during testing, Silva reportedly inched out on the helicopter's right skid — with no safety belt — to investigate the cause of intense vibrations shaking the cockpit, according to a 2009 interview with Smithsonian Magazine.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of shaking
Verb
  • Sidney is hedging his words in ever more delaying parentheses.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Senate Democrats and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are hedging their bets on victories in red states – Iowa, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio and yes, Alaska – to help flip the upper chamber and hand back control to the party.
    — Jay Stahl, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of hedging
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.

Browse Nearby Words

tergiversates
tergiversating
tergiversation
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Cite this Entry

“Tergiversating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tergiversating. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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