Equivocality

ɪˌkwɪvəˈkælɪti

Noun

  • As in ambiguity, equivocalness (the quality or state of having a veiled or uncertain meaning).

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Example Sentences

“His equivocality wasn’t evasive — it just showed he was still thinking things through.”

“Sometimes equivocality is useful for keeping options open in a discussion.”

“I asked a simple yes-or-no question, but her equivocality turned the answer into a long ramble.”

Word Origin

Latin, mid-16th century

Why this word?

One definition of “equivocality” is the synonym “equivocalness” — both refer to the state of something having an ambiguous meaning. The root word, “equivocal,” means “having two or more significations” or “capable of more than one interpretation.” An obsolete usage of “equivocal” meant “called by the same name, but differing in nature or function.” It could be used to refer to two different tools, called by the same name but used for different purposes, perhaps in different industries. All of these words come from the Latin “aequivocus,” which breaks into “aequi-,” meaning “equal,” and “vox,” meaning “voice.”

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kəˈpriSHəs