prevaricate
verb
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Prevaricate and its synonyms lie and equivocate all refer to playing fast and loose with the truth. Lie is the bluntest of the three. When you accuse someone of lying, you are saying that person was intentionally dishonest, no bones about it. Prevaricate is less accusatory and softens the bluntness of lie, usually implying that someone is evading the truth rather than purposely making false statements. Equivocate is similar to prevaricate, but it generally implies that someone is deliberately using words that have more than one meaning as a way to conceal the truth.
Examples of prevaricate in a Sentence
John Seiler, Oc Register, 9 June 2026
Instead, the White House spent weeks prevaricating on an executive order that rests on the voluntary cooperation of the AI industry.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
There was a sense that the people in charge of the operation were incompetent or, worse, deliberately prevaricating.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
Starmer prevaricated, pointing to an earlier statement of solidarity with Denmark.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prevaricate
Cite this Entry
“Prevaricate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prevaricate. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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