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Prevarication: meaning, definitions and examples

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prevarication

 

[ prɪˌvarɪˈkeɪʃən ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

in communication

The act of avoiding a direct answer or statement, often by being intentionally vague or ambiguous. Prevarication can be used to deceive or mislead others.

Synonyms

dodging, equivocation, evasion

Examples of usage

  • She accused him of prevarication when he refused to give a clear answer.
  • His prevarication only served to further confuse the situation.
Context #2 | Noun

in law

The act of lying or deviating from the truth under oath. Prevarication in court can result in serious legal consequences.

Synonyms

deception, falsehood, perjury

Examples of usage

  • The witness's prevarication was exposed during cross-examination.
  • Perjury is a form of prevarication that is punishable by law.

Translations

Translations of the word "prevarication" in other languages:

🇵🇹 prevaricação

🇮🇳 टालमटोल

🇩🇪 Ausflüchte

🇮🇩 penyelewengan

🇺🇦 ухилення від відповіді

🇵🇱 wykręt

🇯🇵 言い逃れ

🇫🇷 équivoque

🇪🇸 evasiva

🇹🇷 kaçamak

🇰🇷 핑계

🇸🇦 مراوغة

🇨🇿 výmluva

🇸🇰 výhovorka

🇨🇳 搪塞

🇸🇮 izgovor

🇮🇸 undank

🇰🇿 сілтеме

🇬🇪 გარიდება

🇦🇿 yayınma

🇲🇽 evasiva

Etymology

The word 'prevarication' originated from the Latin word 'praevaricatio', which means 'a straddling, shuffling'. It first appeared in English in the 16th century. Prevarication is often associated with deception and dishonesty, and has been used in various contexts such as politics, law, and everyday communication.

Word Frequency Rank

This word's position of #33,023 indicates it's among the more rare English words. While understanding it broadens your vocabulary, focus on more common words first.