Meaning & use
unequivocal
Last updated
UK/ˌʌnɪˈkwɪvəkl/
US/ˌʌnɪˈkwɪvəkl/
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Leaving no doubt; clear and having only one possible meaning.
Grammar: Often used before nouns like support, answer, or refusal, or after be: The answer was unequivocal.
Patterns
- unequivocal support
- unequivocal answer
- be unequivocal about something
The committee gave its unequivocal support to the plan.
Her answer was unequivocal: she would not resign.
He was unequivocal in his criticism of the policy.
Word forms
| comparative | more unequivocal |
|---|---|
| superlative | most unequivocal |
Common combinations
- unequivocal support
- The president offered unequivocal support for the treaty.
- unequivocal answer
- We need an unequivocal answer by Friday.
- unequivocal refusal
- His unequivocal refusal surprised everyone.
- unequivocal in
- She was unequivocal in her denial of the charges.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unambiguous
- Very close in meaning; unambiguous often describes language or instructions that cannot be misunderstood.
- clear
- More general and less formal; clear can mean easy to understand, while unequivocal stresses that no other interpretation is possible.
- definite
- Suggests something is certain and fixed, but not necessarily that it is expressed without doubt.
Opposites
Word family
- unequivocally adverb
- In a way that leaves no doubt.
- equivocal adjective
- Unclear or able to be understood in more than one way.
Commonly confused: unequivocal or equivocal?
unequivocal vs equivocal
Equivocal means ambiguous or deliberately vague; adding un- makes it the opposite.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Unequivocal is followed by 'about' when saying what is clear. The other prepositions do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
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