What is the meaning of equivocal?

adjective

  • Open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead.
    • usage: "an equivocal statement"; "the polling had a complex and equivocal (or ambiguous) message for potential female candidates"; "the officer's equivocal behavior increased the victim's uneasiness"; "popularity is an equivocal crown"; "an equivocal response to an embarrassing question"
  • Open to question. "aliens of equivocal loyalty"; "his conscience reproached him with the equivocal character of the union into which he had forced his son-Anna Jameson
  • Uncertain as a sign or indication.
    • usage: "the evidence from bacteriologic analysis was equivocal"
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APAWordNet. (2010). equivocal. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/equivocal/definitions/1173481
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "equivocal" http://smartdefine.org/equivocal/definitions/1173481 (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, equivocal, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/equivocal/definitions/1173481>.
MLAWordNet. "equivocal" 23 October 2010. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/equivocal/definitions/1173481>
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