equivocating 1 of 2

adjective

as in pretending

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equivocating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of equivocate
as in weaseling
to avoid giving a definite answer or position the candidate equivocated as long as he could on controversial issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 equivocating
Adjective
Yet Hiller’s latest equivocating mea culpa, with the now-familiar language of hardship and defeatism so unbecoming of a professional hockey team, rang unconvincing. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
This was after much pressing and equivocating, number one. — CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026 But the judge’s equivocating ruling in that piracy case created a loophole, according to Anthropic’s lawyers. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026 While Abigail Spanberger stood with her running mate Jay Jones and his murderous fantasies, and evaded every direct question including equivocating over men being in locker rooms with girls. — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 11 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocating
  1. pretending
  2. shaking
  3. hypocritical
  4. waffling
  5. duplicitous
  6. insincere
  7. evasive
  8. untrustworthy
Adjective
  • There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.
    — Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Definition of pretending
Verb
  • White slammed Garry for shaking hands and embracing Makhachev before the final round.
    — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka, a regency in East Nusa Tenggara, said a number of buildings were damaged by the strong shaking and panicked people ran to higher ground.
    — Yacob Herin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaking
Adjective
  • Some players cited the league’s partnerships with sports betting companies as hypocritical or even laying the foundation for this sort of scandal.
    — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 28 July 2026
  • Amendments placed on the ballot by lawmakers would still need only a statewide majority — a distinction critics call hypocritical.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Verb
  • The tournament’s special status — its unwillingness to place any person above the sport — is part of why Williams wanted to play singles, not just doubles with her sister Venus, after waffling on the decision.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • Nothing kills momentum faster than waffling on a big decision.
    — Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of waffling
Adjective
  • Cypher probably is best known for his role as the politics-savvy and sometimes duplicitous Police Chief Fletcher Daniels in more than 70 episodes of NBC’s 1980s cop drama Hill Street Blues from 1981-87.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The more beautiful a woman, the more likely her exterior attributes displayed a duplicitous nature.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of duplicitous
Adjective
  • Survivors have expressed frustration and criticized the Japanese government's support for nuclear deterrence for being insincere.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Survivors have expressed frustration and criticized the Japanese government’s support for nuclear deterrence for being insincere.
    — Mari Yamaguchi, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of insincere
Adjective
  • Many flying insects include evasive maneuvers into their routine flying patterns.
    — Rachel Sargent Mirus, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Yale sees things differently, and its filings portray Rignol as stalling and evasive.
    — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of evasive
Adjective
  • Lawyers representing Elon Musk, who sued OpenAI, Altman and Brockman in 2024 over a dispute about the company's corporate structure, used Altman's firing as a way to cast doubt on his character, accusing him of being untrustworthy.
    — Ashley Capoot,Kate Rooney, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The forest of myth was an eerie, volatile place, a shelter for untrustworthy and unpredictable characters who might eat you as soon as look at you.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Definition of untrustworthy

Browse Nearby Words

equivocates
equivocating
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Cite this Entry

“Equivocating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocating. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on equivocating

Nglish: Translation of equivocating for Spanish Speakers

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