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
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
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 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
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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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Some legal scholars say ambiguity about Musk's precise actions behind the scenes could also complicate his critics' legal challenges.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2025
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But that email and a cascade of follow up messages, FAQs and the resignation agreement language are mired in ambiguities and contradictions, labor law experts said.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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My desire is stronger for us, even in just this country, to heal, and to talk, and to shake each other’s hands.—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2025
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The art of the deal, evidently, is to be the behemoth who takes outrageous positions that cause his weaker targets to shake in their boots; the master’s genius is soon demonstrated when the targets move away from what we’re meant to see as their previously intractable positions.—
Andrew C. McCarthy,
National Review,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Players can use the shuffle button to mix up the words on the screen if they get stuck.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
9 Feb. 2025
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Between the lines: Business interests and more traditional conservatives like former Vice President Mike Pence want to make sure these concerns don't get lost in the shuffle, amid Trump's emphasis on tariffs and tax breaks that resonated on the campaign trail.—
Neil Irwin,
Axios,
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 22 Feb. 2025.
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