What does it mean to equivocate someone?
To equivocate is to say something in a way that can be understood multiple ways, especially so that people will think you mean one thing when you really mean another. It’s choosing and arranging your words carefully so that you’re not quite lying but so that your listener winds up deceived or misled.
What does prevaricate mean mean?
to deviate from the truth
Definition of prevaricate intransitive verb. : to deviate from the truth : equivocate.
What’s an example of prevaricate?
Prevaricate definition To prevaricate is to dance around the truth or speak evasively. An example of prevaricate is what you do when your mother asks you where you have been and you don’t want to tell her. verb. 1. To turn aside from, or evade, the truth; equivocate.
What are some examples of equivocate?
Noisy children are a real headache. Two aspirin will make a headache go away. Therefore, two aspirin will make noisy children go away. A warm beer is better than a cold beer.
How do you equivocate?
There are two main components to equivocation:
- The use of vague or ambiguous language, which makes the meaning of what is being said unclear.
- The intent to deceive listeners or to avoid committing to a specific stance.
Does prevaricate mean to lie?
the act of prevaricating, or lying: Seeing the expression on his mother’s face, Nathan realized this was no time for prevarication. a false or deliberate misstatement; lie: Her many prevarications had apparently paid off; she was free to go.
What is the opposite of prevarication?
Opposite of to prevaricate or equivocate in speech or actions. agree. concur. tell truth. face.
What is the antonym of equivocate?
What is the opposite of equivocate?
| confront | encounter |
|---|---|
| be straight | be truthful |
| be open | be clear |
| be upright | come straight to the point |
| not beat about the bush |
How do you remember prevaricate?
Mnemonics (Memory Aids) for prevaricate equi+vocate sounds like advocate… corrupt advocates LIE, to CONCEAL THE TRUTH which MISLEADS the judge.. divide is as pre(.. before)+var(truth..)+
How do you use prevarication in a sentence?
What is the opposite of prevaricating?
Antonyms & Near Antonyms for prevaricating. honest, truthful, veracious.
What is the synonym of equivocate?
Some common synonyms of equivocate are fib, lie, palter, and prevaricate. While all these words mean “to tell an untruth,” equivocate implies using words having more than one sense so as to seem to say one thing but intend another.
What part of speech is prevaricate?
verb
verb (used without object), pre·var·i·cat·ed, pre·var·i·cat·ing.
What do you call someone who avoids the truth?
The word deceitful is a disapproving way to talk about someone or something that hides the truth. She’s deeply deceitful and not to be trusted. A bill was passed that banned deceitful sales practices. In formal contexts, disingenuous can be used when someone doesn’t tell the whole truth about something.
What is an Amphiboly example?
verbal fallacies (2) Amphiboly occurs when the grammar of a statement is such that several distinct meanings can obtain (example: “The governor says, ‘Save soap and waste paper. ‘ So soap is more valuable than paper.”).
How do you use equivocate in a sentence?
The applicant seemed to be equivocating when we asked him about his last job. When asked about her tax plan, the candidate didn’t equivocate.