equivocation

noun

i-ˌkwi-və-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce equivocation (audio)
Definition of equivocationnext
1
as in ambiguity
deliberate evasion in speech your equivocation when asked where you were last night is not reassuring

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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"

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of equivocation First, Congress tasked the Fed with the mission to ensure price stability, without excuse or equivocation, argument or anguish. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026 When Burrows renewed talk of a takeover, Javier Martinez, speaker of the New Mexico House, responded without equivocation. — Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026 This admission is met with varying levels of shock and dismay from her three companions, ranging from nervous equivocation from her fiancé to self-righteous anger from Rachel. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 3 Apr. 2026 Where the equivocation began was in conversations with European diplomats and officials. — Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for equivocation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocation
  1. ambiguity
  2. shuffle
  3. circumlocution
Noun
  • That ambiguity is echoed in Banks’ score, which takes on the tone of a lament and a celebration, frustration and hope, struggle and liberation, the quest for transcendence in the face of the challenges posed by daunting inequities.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Internet sleuths, predictably, have seized on this ambiguity as proof of malfeasance.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of ambiguity
Noun
  • One of Parton’s first forays into purer pop, this single has the stomp and shuffle of funk and could easily be retrofitted into disco DJ sets.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • That was particularly evident as the club looked to replace franchise shortstop Dansby Swanson, whose absence has forced an infield shuffle and several changes to the big-league roster.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of shuffle
Noun
  • But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
  • 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
Definition of circumlocution

Browse Nearby Words

equivocating
equivocation
equivocator
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Cite this Entry

“Equivocation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocation. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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