Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

equivocate

verbHigh-frequency wordMore E words

to use vague language to avoid committing or to mislead

Word origin: From Latin aequus, equal, plus vox, voice.

Test your vocabulary in a real test Full-length · no signup · instant score
In a sentence

Equivocate in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing equivocate in a sentence.

When pressed for a yes or no, the official continued to equivocate.

When asked directly whether he would resign, the minister equivocated for nearly ten minutes.

Synonyms
prevaricatehedgedodge
Antonyms
specifycommit
Usage & nuance

Using “equivocate” well

Equivocate means to use deliberately ambiguous language to avoid commitment or to mislead. It is more pointedly evasive than simply being unclear.

Common questions

Questions about “equivocate

Equivocate (verb) means to use vague language to avoid committing or to mislead
Here is equivocate used in an example sentence: "When pressed for a yes or no, the official continued to equivocate." Another example: "When asked directly whether he would resign, the minister equivocated for nearly ten minutes."
Common synonyms for equivocate include prevaricate, hedge, dodge.
Antonyms of equivocate include specify, commit.
Clusters with prevaricate, hedge, and dodge in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms specify and commit mark the opposite of evasion.
Yes. Equivocate is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.