equivocation
equivocation — 名詞
- equivocationsingular
- equivocationsplural
1. the act of using language that is deliberately unclear or open to more than one
閃爍其詞
故意用模糊語言迴避真相或明確回答
the act of using language that is deliberately unclear or open to more than one interpretation, in order to avoid telling the truth or giving a direct answer to a question
Voters grew frustrated with the mayor's equivocation about the planned tax increase.
選民對市長在計畫增稅一事上的閃爍其詞感到不滿。
collocation: equivocation about [topic]
When Nia asked about the missing money, her boss's equivocation made her call the police.
當 Nia 問起那筆不見的錢時，她老闆的閃爍其詞讓她報了警。
The judge told both lawyers that equivocation would not fool the jury.
法官告訴雙方律師，閃爍其詞騙不了陪審團。
Roya saw through the salesman's equivocation and asked for a written guarantee instead.
Roya 看穿了業務員的閃爍其詞，轉而要求書面保證。
Andrei was fired for his equivocation during the internal investigation into the data breach.
Andrei 因為在資料外洩的內部調查中閃爍其詞而被開除。
- ambiguity
Broader term — ambiguity can be unintentional; equivocation is always deliberate.
- evasiveness
Close in meaning, but evasiveness can involve silence or changing the subject, not just vague language.
- prevarication
Stronger and more formal — directly implies lying or false statements rather than cleverly vague wording.
- straightforwardness
Direct and honest communication without hidden intentions.
- clarity
Clear, unambiguous expression where the meaning is immediately obvious.
文法句型
equivocation about [topic]
equivocation on [topic]
possessive + equivocation
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in formal or legal contexts. The word carries a negative judgment — it implies the speaker knows the truth but is choosing to hide it through clever wording. The countable form (an equivocation) refers to a single instance of such language, while the uncountable form treats it as a general practice.