Equivocal Meaning
/əˈkwɪvəkəl/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjHaving two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation.
adjCapable of being ascribed to different motives, or of signifying opposite feelings, purposes, or characters; deserving to be suspected.
Sentence Examples
The prime minister's answer was equivocal.
Research in this area is somewhat equivocal.
If his words were equivocal, his manner left their meaning unmistakable.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The politician's ____ response left the audience unsure of his true position on the issue.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The results of the medical test were ____, so further investigation is required.
Word Origin & History
From Late Latin aequivocus + -al, from aequus + vocō. By surface analysis, equi- + vocal.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"For the beauties of Shakespeare are not of so dim or equivocal a nature as to be visible only to learned eyes."
— 1817, William Hazlitt, Characters of Shakespeare's Plays:
"equivocal repentances"
— 1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC:
"From that position he observed his confederate go through the curious procedure of kneeling down on the bedroom floor and for a full minute pressing his ear to the sheet of metal that had already engaged his attention. Then he rose to his feet, nodded, dusted his trousers, and Mr Carlyle moved to a less equivocal position."
— 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
"How equivocal a test."
— 1796, Edmund Burke, A Letter from the Right Honourable Edmund Burke to a Noble Lord, on the Attacks Made upon Him and His Pension, […], London: […] J. Owen, […], and F[rancis] and C[harles] Rivington, […], →OCLC:
"Some equivocals are merely ambiguous. Sharp is an example. It is equivocal since it is appropriate to call different types of things 'sharp' though what it is for them to be sharp differs."
— 2012, Deborah Achtenberg, Cognition of Value in Aristotle's Ethics:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The politician's ____ response left the audience unsure of his true position on the issue.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The results of the medical test were ____, so further investigation is required.