equivocation

/i,kwivə'keiʃn/
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equivocation

A politician's equivocation left the audience confused about his true position.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • The use of vague or ambiguous language to deceive or mislead: "Equivocation" refers to the act of expressing oneself in an unclear way, often deliberately, to avoid commitment or to conceal the truth.
    • An intentionally vague or ambiguous statement: It can also refer to a specific instance of such language—a statement that is not technically false but is designed to be misleading or to evade a direct answer.
    • A logical fallacy: In logic, it is a fallacy arising from the use of a word or phrase in more than one sense within an argument.
Examples of Usage
  • Noun:
    • The politician's answer was pure equivocation; he never directly addressed the question.
    • Her equivocation about her plans made everyone suspicious.
    • The contract was full of legal equivocation, leaving its meaning open to interpretation.
Advanced Usage
  • "To be guilty of equivocation": To have deliberately used ambiguous language.
    • The witness was guilty of equivocation during the cross-examination.
  • "A masterpiece of equivocation": An exceptionally clever or artful use of vague language.
    • His press release was a masterpiece of equivocation, pleasing no one but offending no one either.
Variants and Related Words
  • Equivocate (verb): To use ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid commitment.
    • He chose to equivocate rather than give a straight answer.
  • Equivocal (adjective): Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous.
    • The data from the experiment was equivocal and required further study.
  • Equivocator (noun): A person who equivocates.
    • He was known as a skilled equivocator in diplomatic circles.
Synonyms
  • Prevarication: The act of avoiding a direct answer or being deliberately ambiguous.
  • Ambiguity: The quality of being open to more than one interpretation.
  • Evasiveness: The tendency to avoid giving direct answers.
  • Double-talk: Language that appears to be meaningful but is actually a mixture of sense and nonsense.
Related Phrases
  • To hedge one's words: To use non-committal or ambiguous language.
    • Instead of a clear promise, he hedged his words with equivocation.
  • To speak out of both sides of one's mouth: To make contradictory or misleading statements.
    • The CEO was accused of speaking out of both sides of his mouth, engaging in blatant equivocation.
Related Idioms
  • To beat around the bush: To avoid talking about what is important.
    • Stop beating around the bush and answer the question without equivocation.
  • To be weasel-worded: To be filled with words that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading.
    • The statement was so weasel-worded it was a classic example of equivocation.
equivocation

A politician's equivocation left the audience confused about his true position.

Noun
  1. falsification by means of vague or ambiguous language
  2. intentionally vague or ambiguous
  3. a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth

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