Equivocate \E*quiv"o*cate\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Equivocated;
p. pr. & vb. n. Equivocating.] [L. aequivocatus, p. p. of
aequivocari to be called by the same name, fr. L. aequivocus:
cf. F. ['e]quivoquer. 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. --Bp.
Stillingfleet.
Syn: To prevaricate; evade; shuffle; quibble. See
Prevaricate.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Equivocate \E*quiv"o*cate\, v. t.
To render equivocal or ambiguous.
[1913 Webster]
He equivocated his vow by a mental reservation. --Sir
G. Buck.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
equivocate
v : be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or
withhold information [syn: beat around the bush, tergiversate,
prevaricate, palter]
WordNet (r) 2.0
81 Moby Thesaurus words for "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
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
beat around the bush, palter, prevaricate, tergiversate
|
|
|