SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
prevaricate
verb
To avoid being fully truthful by using evasive statements.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Evade the truth
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topPrevaricate involves evasive or misleading speech. Hedge can merely qualify an uncertain statement; an outright lie need not involve evasion.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See prevaricate in use
Asked who changed the schedule, he began to prevaricate.
When the chair asked whether the consultation included every participant, the speaker began to prevaricate, describing enthusiastic conversations without answering who had actually been asked.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license