1
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged
the evidence that this latest diet really results in lasting weight loss is certainly equivocal
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning
he responded to the reporter's questions with equivocal answers or refusals to comment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unsure
having a mixture of opposing feelings
a number of people are clearly equivocal about allowing casino gambling in the state
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of equivocal
Allison Gill, legal director at Global Labor Justice, a workers’ rights nonprofit, is less equivocal, however.
—
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
The message is in contrast to the equivocal and worrisome responses from the new US health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is a long-time anti-vaccine advocate.
—Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2025
Whereas his prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, appeared to offer concrete details at an earlier news conference of how the agreement would be signed and implemented, Zelenskyy was far less equivocal in his account of events.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2025
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that his country could send troops, but French President Emmanuel Macron—the only European leader to previously pledge such deployments—has become equivocal on this question, backing off his original commitment.
—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for equivocal
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
The message is in contrast to the equivocal and worrisome responses from the new US health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is a long-time anti-vaccine advocate.
—Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2025
Whereas his prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, appeared to offer concrete details at an earlier news conference of how the agreement would be signed and implemented, Zelenskyy was far less equivocal in his account of events.
—Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2025
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that his country could send troops, but French President Emmanuel Macron—the only European leader to previously pledge such deployments—has become equivocal on this question, backing off his original commitment.
—Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for equivocal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for equivocal
Adjective
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Wiggins was listed as questionable on the injury report before being upgraded to available.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Tatum came into this contest listed as questionable.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But the scene itself could be read as a little ambiguous, too: is Sammie trying to pierce the veil again, playing a song that could both foster community but also bring back the vampires?—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
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As the days turned into weeks, the reality of her situation remained ambiguous.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Overall, researchers are unsure why diabetes increases the risk of ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
18 Apr. 2025
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Approximately 26 percent of individuals surveyed were unsure.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Doctors prescribe it to ease symptoms of testosterone deficiency — among them weight gain, muscle loss and depression — but dubious clinics also sell the therapy as a cure-all for a crisis of masculinity.—
The New York Times,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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In his second term, the president has fewer people around him who try to keep dubious sources away.—
Michael D. Shear,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Generally, when a player makes a cryptic social media post ...—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
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Pittsburgh Steelers four-time All-pro defensive end T.J. Watt had a cryptic post on his Instagram account that had the NFL world in a social media frenzy.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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What’s more, these narrators commonly achieve their spectral detachment only in the ambivalent or ruinous aftermath of procreation.—
Jordan Kisner,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2025
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France has often been ambivalent — even resistant — toward the #MeToo movement.—
John Leicester,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Hoult is coming off a trio of starring turns late last year that showcased his range, playing a cold white supremacist in Justin Kurzel’s The Order, a conflicted husband in Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2, and a man fighting a despicable vampire in Robert Egger’s lush Gothic drama Nosferatu.—
Borys Kit,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Friday morning, celebrating the probable aversion of a partial government shutdown in comments that will likely drive a deeper wedge between conflicted Democrats.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The more Macdonald resists mythologizing or summing up, the more John Lennon and Yoko Ono emerge as fragile, complex individuals on a journey together during uncertain times.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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And those tariffs will fuel another wave of scams and attacks, as businesses and shoppers in America and elsewhere react to the newly uncertain climate.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Equivocal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/equivocal. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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