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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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 the central problem facing marine carbon dioxide removal, or mCDR.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Christopher Nolan’s recent film reminded me of another time when the world was awash in ambiguity and leaders needed to navigate the perilous voyage across unfamiliar territory.
    — Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of ambiguity
Noun
  • Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The power and shuffle/no shuffle switches were also separated into separate controls.
    — Eric Griffith, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 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

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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 28 Oct. 2026.

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