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
Gary J. Bass, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Less than 10 minutes into a British parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, during which a Shein representative equivocated on questions relating to the e-tail Goliath’s supply chain and a potential public float, a visibly frustrated Member of Parliament made his feelings known in no uncertain terms.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 7 Jan. 2025
Paul Tassi, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Ultimately, what may matter most is what Trump wants given his near total control of Washington, but the current equivocation from congressional Republicans is pronounced.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for equivocate
Verb
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
Less than 10 minutes into a British parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, during which a Shein representative equivocated on questions relating to the e-tail Goliath’s supply chain and a potential public float, a visibly frustrated Member of Parliament made his feelings known in no uncertain terms.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
There is no equivocation about whether or not Jamie killed Katie.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Ultimately, what may matter most is what Trump wants given his near total control of Washington, but the current equivocation from congressional Republicans is pronounced.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
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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While its consumer protection goals are laudable, its imprecise drafting introduces ambiguity that employers and background screening providers must now navigate.—
Alonzo Martinez,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Investors hope that once the tariffs are implemented, some of the ambiguity surrounding U.S. trade policy could ease.—
Brian Evans,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The back-and-forth over tariffs shook confidence in U.S. leadership, exposed fractures within Trump’s team and rattled companies that rely on global sources for products and international customers for sales.—
Time,
Time,
10 Apr. 2025
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Trump's punishing tariffs have shaken a global trading order that has persisted for decades, raised fears of recession, and driven worldwide stocks sharply downward.—
Joe Cash and Trevor Hunnicutt,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In 2021, Congress passed a bill authorizing TSA to develop a pilot program that could end the recheck shuffle stateside.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
25 Mar. 2025
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Offensive linemen: The shuffle continues with several players crosstraining: Olaus Alinen, Casey Poe and Michael Carroll, who were recruited to play interior positions, are getting tackle reps to help with depth.—
Kennington Smith III,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 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 18 Apr. 2025.
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