hedged

Thân thiện

The politician hedged his answer during the press conference.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Evasively worded to avoid a direct or unqualified statement: Describes language that is deliberately vague, indirect, or non-committal to escape making a clear, definitive claim or promise.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The politician gave a hedged answer to avoid committing to a specific policy.
  • Her hedged response, full of "maybes" and "depending on circumstances," frustrated the interviewers.
  • The company's statement was carefully hedged to protect against future legal liability.

Advanced Usage

• "To be hedged": To be phrased with qualifications or conditions.
  • His apology was so hedged with excuses that it seemed insincere.
• "Hedged language": A specific term for cautious, non-committal wording common in academic, diplomatic, or corporate communication.
  • The scientific paper used hedged language like "it appears that" and "the data suggests" to acknowledge uncertainty.

Variants and Related Words

• Hedge (verb): To avoid making a direct statement; to limit or qualify (a statement or commitment).
  • He hedged when asked about his future plans.
• Hedging (noun): The use of intentionally non-committal or ambiguous language.
  • The diplomat's speech was a masterpiece of hedging.

Synonyms

• Qualified: Limited or modified by conditions or reservations.
• Non-committal: Not expressing or revealing commitment to a definite opinion or course of action.
• Evasive: Tending to avoid commitment or self-revelation, especially by responding only indirectly.

Related Phrases

• Hedge one's bets: To reduce one's risk by supporting more than one possible outcome.
  • She's hedging her bets by applying to several different universities. (Note: This idiom relates to the financial/original meaning of 'hedge' but is commonly used.)

Related Idioms

• To sit on the fence: To avoid making a decision or choice.
  • Stop sitting on the fence and give us a straight answer! (This idiom is conceptually similar to being hedged in communication.)

Học thuật

Adjective

1. evasively worded in order to avoid an unqualified statement

Từ đồng nghĩa

• weasel-worded