Meaning & use
equivocal
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableformal
Unclear because it can be understood in more than one way, often on purpose.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: an equivocal reply, the answer was equivocal.
Patterns
- an equivocal answer
- be equivocal about something
The minister gave an equivocal answer about tax rises.
Test results were equivocal, so the doctors repeated the scan.
Her equivocal smile left him unsure of her opinion.
adjectivecomparableformal
Open to doubt about its nature or value, so that you cannot be sure what it shows.
Grammar: Used about evidence or results: equivocal evidence.
Patterns
- equivocal evidence
The evidence for the theory remains equivocal.
Reviews of the film were equivocal, with some praise and some complaints.
The data are equivocal on whether the drug works.
Word forms
| comparative | more equivocal |
|---|---|
| superlative | most equivocal |
Common combinations
- equivocal answer
- He gave an equivocal answer to avoid committing.
- equivocal results
- Equivocal results meant the experiment was repeated.
- equivocal evidence
- The equivocal evidence did not settle the case.
- equivocal response
- The president's equivocal response disappointed supporters.
- remain equivocal
- Her position on the issue remained equivocal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ambiguous
- Ambiguous simply means open to more than one reading, while equivocal often suggests the vagueness is deliberate.
- vague
- Vague means lacking detail, whereas equivocal means that different meanings are possible.
- evasive
- Evasive describes someone avoiding a direct answer, focusing on the speaker rather than the statement.
- inconclusive
- Inconclusive is used for evidence or results that do not settle a question, without any suggestion of trickery.
Opposites
Word family
- equivocate verb
- to speak in an unclear way to avoid commitment
- equivocation noun
- deliberately vague speech
- equivocally adverb
- in an unclear way
- unequivocal adjective
- completely clear and certain
- unequivocally adverb
- in a completely clear way
Commonly confused: equivocal or unequivocal?
equivocal vs unequivocal
Unequivocal means the opposite: perfectly clear and without doubt.
Practice
The scan results were ____, so the doctor could not tell whether treatment was needed.
Choose one answer.
Equivocal means open to more than one reading, matching the doctor's uncertainty. The other options all mean clear and would make the doctor sure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “equivocal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.