equivocal
Syllables: equivo·cal/əˈkwɪvəkəl/US/ɪˈkwɪvək(ə)l/
equivocal adjective: having two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation.
Adjective
equivocal (comparative more equivocal, superlative most equivocal)
- Having two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation.
- equivocal words
- an equivocal sentence
- Synonyms:
- ambiguous, indeterminate
- Antonyms:
- unequivocal, univocal
- Capable of being ascribed to different motives, or of signifying opposite feelings, purposes, or characters; deserving to be suspected.
- His actions are equivocal.
- equivocal repentances1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC
- Uncertain, as an indication or sign.
- How equivocal a test.1796, Edmund Burke, A Letter from the Right Honourable Edmund Burke to a Noble Lord, on the Attacks Made upon Him and His Pension, […], London: […] J. Owen, […], and F[rancis] and C[harles]...
- Synonyms:
- uncertain, doubtful, incongruous
- Antonyms:
- certain
Noun
equivocal (plural equivocals)
- A word or expression capable of different meanings; an ambiguous term.
- Some equivocals are merely ambiguous. Sharp is an example. It is equivocal since it is appropriate to call different types of things 'sharp' though what it is for them to be sharp differs.2012, Deborah Achtenberg, Cognition of Value in Aristotle's Ethics
- Synonyms:
- double entendre, equivoque
equivocal meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam
equivocal in Tamil
- இரு பொருளுடைய, இரு பொருளை, இருபொருளுடைய, தெளிவற்ற, ஐயத்திற்குரிய
equivocal in Urdu
- لگی لپٹی, مشکوک, مبہم, مشتبہ, ذومعنی
equivocal in Bengali
- equivocal
- দ্ব্যর্থ dêrtho
equivocal in Malayalam
- indefinite, ambiguous, non-committal
- സന്ദിഗ്ദ്ധാർത്ഥ, ഉഭയാർത്ഥമായ, ദ്വയാർത്ഥമുള്ള, ദ്വിഷ്ഠ, ദ്യർത്ഥ, രണ്ട് അർത്ഥമുള്ള
More languagesFewer languages
- equivocal in Kannada
- ದ್ವಂದ್ವಾರ್ಥದ, ಎರಡರ್ಥವುಳ್ಳ, ಸಂದಿಗ್ಧಾರ್ಥದ, ಸಂಶಯಾಸ್ಪದವಾದ
- equivocal in Tagalog
- ekiboko
- equivocal in Indonesian
- taksa, dwimakna
Examples of equivocal in a sentence
- For the beauties of Shakespeare are not of so dim or equivocal a nature as to be visible only to learned eyes.1817, William Hazlitt, Characters of Shakespeare's Plays:
- Then he rose to his feet, nodded, dusted his trousers, and Mr Carlyle moved to a less equivocal position.1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
Synonyms of equivocal
Antonyms
Forms of equivocal
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more equivocal |
| superlative | most equivocal |
| alternative form (obsolete) | æquivocal |
| Noun | |
| plural | equivocals |
Origin of equivocal
From Late Latin aequivocus + -al, from aequus + vocō. By surface analysis, equi- + vocal.
Words formed from equivocal
Questions about equivocal
- What does equivocal mean?
- Equivocal means having two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation.
- What is equivocal in Tamil?
- Equivocal in Tamil is இரு பொருளுடைய, இரு பொருளை, இருபொருளுடைய. See Equivocal meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use equivocal in a sentence?
- For the beauties of Shakespeare are not of so dim or equivocal a nature as to be visible only to learned eyes.
- What part of speech is equivocal?
- Equivocal can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce equivocal?
- Equivocal is pronounced /əˈkwɪvəkəl/ (UK).
Words near equivocal in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: equivocal (page history and authors); equivocal (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); equivocal (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); দ্ব্যর্থ (Bengali) (page history and authors); equivocal (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); equivocal (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “equivocal.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/equivocal. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.