Definition

Noun: 1. A response that intentionally avoids giving a direct, clear, or honest reply: An evasive answer is one that is deliberately vague, ambiguous, or misleading, designed to sidestep the question or issue rather than address it squarely. 2. (Law) A defendant's formal response that fails to specifically admit or deny the allegations in a complaint: In a legal context, it is a pleading that does not meet the requirement to directly respond to each point of the plaintiff's claim, often treated as an admission.

Usage

• This term is used to describe uncooperative, indirect, or deceptive communication.
• It implies an intention to conceal information, avoid commitment, or escape responsibility.
• In legal settings, it refers to a specific type of inadequate formal response.

Examples

• General Usage:
  • When asked about the missing funds, the manager gave an evasive answer, talking about general budget challenges instead.
  • Politicians are often criticized for providing evasive answers during press conferences.
• Legal Usage:
  • The court may strike an evasive answer from the pleadings and treat the allegation as admitted.

Advanced Usage

• "To plead an evasive answer": In law, to file a response that is legally insufficient because it avoids the substance of the allegation.
  • The plaintiff's attorney moved to compel a more definitive statement, arguing the defendant had pleaded an evasive answer.

Variants and Related Words

• Evasive (adj): Tending or intended to evade; not straightforward.
  • His evasive manner made the investigators suspicious.
• Evasiveness (n): The quality of being evasive.
  • The witness's evasiveness was noted by the jury.

Synonyms

• Non-answer: A reply that does not constitute a proper answer.
• Dodge: An act of avoiding something, such as a question.
• Equivocation: The use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid commitment.

Antonyms

• Direct answer: A straightforward and clear response.
• Candid reply: An open and honest answer.
• Admission: A statement acknowledging the truth of an allegation.

Related Phrases

• To be evasive: To avoid giving direct answers.
  • Stop being evasive and tell me what really happened.
• To dodge the question: To avoid answering a question directly.
  • The CEO dodged the question about potential layoffs.

Noun

1. (law) an answer by a defendant that fails to admit or deny the allegations set forth in the complaint