Meanings
present singular third person equivocates · participle present equivocating · participle past equivocated · past equivocated · alternative obsolete æquivocate
- intransitiveTo speak using double meaning; to speak ambiguously, unclearly or doubtfully, with intent to deceive; to vacillate in one's answers, responding with equivoques.
All that Garnet had to say for him was that he supposed he meant to equivocate.
1687, Edward Stillingfleet, The Unreasonableness of Separation: Or, An Impartial Account of the History, Nature and Pleas of the Present Separation from the Communion of the Church of England1 more example
Knock. Knock, knock. Who's there in th'other Deuils Name? Faith here's an Equiuocator, that could ſweare in both the Scales againſt eyther Scale, who committed Treaſon enough for Gods ſake, yet could not equiuocate to Heauen: oh come in, Equiuocator.
c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], page 137, column 1Synonyms: prevaricate, evade, shuffle, adumbrate
- transitiveTo render equivocal or ambiguous.
He equivocated his vow by a mental reservation
1647, George Buck, Reign of Richard the Third
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo speak using double meaning; to speak ambiguously, unclearly or doubtfully, with intent to deceive; to vacillate in one's answers, responding with equivoques.
More synonyms by meaning
verbbe deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latinaequivocus“ambiguous, equivocal”
- Medieval Latinaequivocātus
- Middle Englishequivocaten
- Englishequivocate
From Late Middle English equivocaten, from Medieval Latin aequivocātus, perfect passive participle of aequivocō (“to be called by the same name”), from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”). Compare French équivoque.
More words from Middle English, Medieval Latin, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian извъртам
- извъртам (izvărtam)to express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
Finnish harhauttaa, johtaa harhaan
- harhauttaato express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
- johtaa harhaanto express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
- saattaa kyseenalaiseksito render equivocal or ambiguous
- kierrelläto render equivocal or ambiguous
- väistääto render equivocal or ambiguous
- pyöritelläto render equivocal or ambiguous
Malay berdolak-dalih
- berdolak-dalihto express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
Polish wykręcać się od odpowiedzi, wykręcić się od odpowiedzi
- wykręcać się od odpowiedzito express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
- wykręcić się od odpowiedzito express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
- czynić niejasnymto render equivocal or ambiguous
- uczynić niejasnymto render equivocal or ambiguous
Spanish ser equívoco, hablar equívocamente
- ser equívocoto express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
- hablar equívocamenteto express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
- hablar con equivocidadto express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
- hacer equívocoto render equivocal or ambiguous
- dar equivocidadto render equivocal or ambiguous
Swedish uttrycka sig tvetydigt
- uttrycka sig tvetydigtto express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
Turkish kaçamak konuşmak
- kaçamak konuşmakto express one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive
Cite this entry
equivocate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/equivocate
“equivocate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/equivocate. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “equivocate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/equivocate.
Source: equivocate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.