equivocate

• POS: Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: e=quiv=o=cate

CIDE DICTIONARY

equivocate, v. i. [L. aequivocatus, p. p. of aequivocari to be called by the same name, fr. L. aequivocus: cf. F. équivoquer. See Equivocal, a.].

 To use words of equivocal or doubtful signification; to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive; to use ambiguous expressions with a view to mislead; as, to equivocate is the work of duplicity.  [1913 Webster]
"All that Garnet had to say for him was that he supposed he meant to equivocate."

Syn. -- To prevaricate; evade; shuffle; quibble. See Prevaricate.

equivocate, v. t. 

 To render equivocal or ambiguous.  [1913 Webster]
"He equivocated his vow by a mental reservation."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

equivocate, v.intr. use ambiguity to conceal the truth.

Derivative

equivocation n. equivocator n. equivocatory adj.

Etymology

ME f. LL aequivocare (as EQUIVOCAL)

THESAURUS

equivocate

about the bush, alternate, around the bush, avoid, back and fill, be untruthful, beat about, beat around, beg the question, bicker, boggle, cavil, change, choplogic, deceive, dither, dodge, double-talk, draw the longbow, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, evade the issue, exaggerate, falsify, fence, fib, fluctuate, hedge, hem and haw, hum and haw, lie, lie flatly, mince the truth, mince words, mislead, mystify, nitpick, obscure, oscillate, palter, parry, pendulate, pick nits, prevaricate, pull away, pull back, pussyfoot, put off, quibble, recoil, sheer off, shift, shift off, shilly-shally, shrink, shuffle, shy, shy away, shy off, sidestep, skirt, speak falsely, split hairs, step aside, story, stretch the truth, swerve, teeter, tell a lie, tergiversate, totter, vacillate, vary, waffle, ward off, waver, weasel, wobble

ROGET THESAURUS

equivocate

& Sophistry

VB judge intuitively, judge by intuition, hazard a proposition, hazard a guess, talk at random, reason ill, falsely, misjudge, paralogize, take on faith, take as a given, assume (supposition), pervert, quibble, equivocate, mystify, evade, elude, gloss over, varnish, misteach, mislead, cavil, refine, subtilize, split hairs, misrepresent, beg the question, reason in a circle, reason in circles, assume the conclusion, cut blocks with a razor, beat about the bush, play fast and loose, play fast and loose with the facts, blow hot and cold, prove that black is white and white black, travel out of the record, parler a tort et a travers, put oneself out of court, not have a leg to stand on, judge hastily, shoot from the hip, jump to conclusions (misjudgment).

Equivocalness

VB be equivocal, have two meanings, equivocate.

Falsehood

VB be false, be a liar, speak falsely, tell a lie, lie, fib, lie like a trooper, swear false, forswear, perjure oneself, bear false witness, misstate, misquote, miscite, misreport, misrepresent, belie, falsify, pervert, distort, put a false construction upon (misinterpret), prevaricate, equivocate, quibble, palter, palter to the understanding, repondre en Normand, trim, shuffle, fence, mince the truth, beat about the bush, blow hot and cold, play fast and loose, garble, gloss over, disguise, give a color to, give a gloss, put a gloss, put false coloring upon, color, varnish, cook, dress up, embroider, varnish right and puzzle wrong, exaggerate, blague, invent, fabricate, trump up, get up, force, fake, hatch, concoct, romance, cry 'wolf!', dissemble, dissimulate, feign, assume, put on, pretend, make believe, play possum, play false, play a double game, coquet, act a part, play a part, affect, simulate, pass off for, counterfeit, sham, make a show of, malinger, say the grapes are sour, cant, play the hypocrite, sham Abraham, faire pattes de velours, put on the mask, clean the outside of the platter, lie like a conjuror, hand out false colors, hold out false colors, sail under false colors, commend the poisoned chalice to the lips, ambiguas in vulgum spargere voces, deceive.