Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To speak or write evasively; equivocate. synonym: lie.
- intransitive verb To behave in an evasive or indecisive manner, usually in delay.
- intransitive verb To utter or say in an evasive manner.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To deviate; swerve from the normal or proper course; stray.
- To swerve from the truth; act or speak evasively; quibble.
- In law: To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying the object which it is professed to promote.
- To betray the cause of a client, and by collusion assist his opponent.
- To pervert; cause to deviate from the normal or proper path, application, or meaning.
- To transgress; violate.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb obsolete To evade by a quibble; to transgress; to pervert.
- intransitive verb To shift or turn from one side to the other, from the direct course, or from truth; to speak with equivocation; to shuffle; to quibble.
- intransitive verb (Civil Law) To collude, as where an informer colludes with the defendant, and makes a sham prosecution.
- intransitive verb (Eng. Law) To undertake a thing falsely and deceitfully, with the purpose of defeating or destroying it.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive, intransitive, obsolete To
deviate ,transgress ; to goastray (from). - verb intransitive To shift or turn from
direct speech or behaviour; to evade the truth; towaffle or be (intentionally)ambiguous . - verb intransitive, law To
collude , as where aninformer colludes with thedefendant , and makes asham prosecution .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He used the word prevaricate instead of procrastinate because he was talking about the deceit of the banking industry in cahoots with the government.
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However: We prevaricate, which is to say, being interpreted, we hedge.
Why is a Hog always Corpulent ? (or Another Special Exhibit at the Met) 2010
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Who was that in the Planet Money clip who doesn't know "prevaricate" (lie) from
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Even in New York, where you're gay until proven otherwise, I was careful to parse my words, prevaricate for the comfort of others and subtly pepper in the tell-tale personal pronoun in order to introduce the subject of a boyfriend.
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US officials will prevaricate, noting that the US spends this amount or that amount.
Jeffrey Sachs: Washington Leaves Millions To Die Jeffrey Sachs 2011
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The euro zone can no longer afford to prevaricate and obfuscate.
Limiting the Damage of a Greek Default Simon Nixon 2011
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US officials will prevaricate, noting that the US spends this amount or that amount.
Jeffrey Sachs: Washington Leaves Millions To Die Jeffrey Sachs 2011
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But Informants may prevaricate for money or revenge.
Bruce Fein: Predator Drones: Bin Laden's Best Friends Bruce Fein 2010
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US officials will prevaricate, noting that the US spends this amount or that amount.
Jeffrey Sachs: Washington Leaves Millions To Die Jeffrey Sachs 2011
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US officials will prevaricate, noting that the US spends this amount or that amount.
Jeffrey Sachs: Washington Leaves Millions To Die Jeffrey Sachs 2011
Prolagus commented on the word prevaricate
"Now, then, sir, don't prevaricate," he began - "don't prevaricate!"
"I won't, sir," answered his son, mildly.
"You will. With all my experience, I surely ought to know when a man is going to prevaricate or not," said his sire. "Now, sir, I am going to ask you a plain question, and I want a plain answer. I am a plain man, as you know."
(Frank Leslie's Pleasant Hours (1879), by Frank Leslie)
August 5, 2008
kingparton commented on the word prevaricate
Why should we prevaricate, just at the last? We never prevaricated before. I have got to die some time, and it's better to die when one is sick than when one is well.
Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady
November 13, 2011
mohitanand commented on the word prevaricate
to speak in an evasive way
The cynic quipped, “There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate”.
October 11, 2016