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
Zach Dorfman, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
Vance attempted to equivocate the false claims from Trump in the wake of the election that led to the Jan. 6 Insurrection, with Democrats pointing to Russian disinformation campaigns that showed up on Facebook in the 2016 election.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
Madison Czopek, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Dec. 2024
Thus a stance that began with equivocation has progressed to mild disappointment.
—Shashi Tharoor, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for equivocate 
Verb
There was a lot of miscommunication and mistrust between critical players in the opposition and Maduro’s equivocating supporters.
—Zach Dorfman, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
Vance attempted to equivocate the false claims from Trump in the wake of the election that led to the Jan. 6 Insurrection, with Democrats pointing to Russian disinformation campaigns that showed up on Facebook in the 2016 election.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024
Noun
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
Thus a stance that began with equivocation has progressed to mild disappointment.
—Shashi Tharoor, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2022
See all Example Sentences for equivocate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocate
Verb
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Trying to weasel things by providing additional levels is abhorrent.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
20 Nov. 2024
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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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There was originally some ambiguity over whether resigning workers would have to do any work for the next eight months.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes,
5 Feb. 2025
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By the end, all snaps into place, though not without some queasy ambiguities and the outings of evil machinations on the part of at least one of the parents.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The coach reportedly failed to shake hands with the coaches of Denver Torah.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
29 Jan. 2025
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After the jury left the courtroom, however, Madigan walked over to Collins and shook his hand, then broke into a smile and talked cheerfully with a group of supporters in the hallway.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Jan. 2025
Noun
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If stuck, players can hit the shuffle button, which will mix up where the words appear on the screen.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Jan. 2025
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The corporate shuffle, effective April 1, was approved late Tuesday by the electronics and entertainment giant’s board of directors in Tokyo.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
29 Jan. 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
Thesaurus Entries Near equivocate
Cite this Entry
“Equivocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocate. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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