Prevaricate: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when someone is being deliberately vague or lying to avoid the truth. Often has a negative connotation.

• When asked about the missing funds, the manager began to prevaricate, giving unclear answers

Used when someone is speaking ambiguously, often to mislead or avoid committing to a clear stance. Has a negative connotation.

• The politician tended to equivocate when asked about his stance on controversial issues

Used when someone is avoiding something, such as a question, responsibility, or even the law. Can imply avoidance with intention.

• He tried to evade the police by hiding in a nearby building

Used when someone is physically avoiding something or someone, or metaphorically avoiding a question or responsibility.

• She managed to dodge all the tough questions during the interview by quickly changing the subject

Used when someone is avoiding talking directly about a topic, often because it's sensitive or embarrassing.

• She skirted around the issue of her recent breakup, not wanting to go into detail

Used when someone is avoiding telling the truth by being vague or ambiguous.

• When asked about the company's safety record, the spokesperson tended to prevaricate.
• He seemed to prevaricate when facing difficult questions.

Used when someone is giving the wrong idea or impression, often intentionally. This can have a negative connotation.

• The advertisement misled consumers into thinking the product was new.
• His vague language was meant to mislead the audience.

Used when someone is intentionally causing someone to believe something that is not true. This often has a negative connotation.

• She tried to deceive her parents by forging their signatures.
• The con artist deceived many people into investing in the fake company.

Used when someone is making up something that is not true, often a story or an excuse.

• He fabricated an excuse about being stuck in traffic.
• The journalist was caught fabricating parts of the story.

Used when someone is deliberately changing or manipulating facts slightly to avoid a clear answer or to cheat, often on a small scale. Can also be used to describe avoiding giving a direct answer to a question.

• He tried to fudge the numbers to make his performance look better.
• When asked about the budget cuts, she fudged the answer to avoid controversy.