Refine this word faster
Equivocation
//ɪˌkwɪvəˈkeɪʃən// noun
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A logical fallacy resulting from the use of multiple meanings of a single expression. countable, uncountable
- 2 falsification by means of vague or ambiguous language wordnet
- 3 The use of expressions susceptible of a double signification, possibly intentionally and with the aim of misleading. countable, uncountable
"Federal courts have mostly ruled against the executive branch in such cases. The equivocation that has characterized the [Trump] administration’s legal responses to date is turning into objection and refusal."
- 4 intentionally vague or ambiguous wordnet
- 5 a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth wordnet
Etymology
c. 1380, from Middle English equivocacion, from Old French equivocation, from Medieval Latin aequivocātiō, from aequivocō, from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”), from Latin aequus (“equal”) + vocō (“call”); a calque of Ancient Greek ὁμωνυμία (homōnumía).
See also for "equivocation"
Next best steps
Mini challenge
Unscramble this word: equivocation