Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use equivocal in a sentence

12 example sentences · adjective, noun

Equivocal means having two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation. Example: “His actions are equivocal.”

Examples of equivocal by meaning

adjectiveHaving two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation.

  • an equivocal sentence

adjectiveCapable of being ascribed to different motives, or of signifying opposite feelings, purposes, or characters; deserving...

  • His actions are equivocal.
  • Then he rose to his feet, nodded, dusted his trousers, and Mr Carlyle moved to a less equivocal position.1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados

nounA word or expression capable of different meanings; an ambiguous term.

  • Some equivocals are merely ambiguous.2012, Deborah Achtenberg, Cognition of Value in Aristotle's Ethics

More sentences with equivocal

  • Gay Charles spectated the microdrama with a sagacious and equivocal eye.2006, Louis Greenberg, The Beggars' Signwriters, page 120. From the entry microdrama
  • In an earlier phase of the war, Ukraine’s leadership had been more equivocal about pitched battles like Bakhmut.2023 January 9, Andrew E. Kramer, Nicole Tung, “Without Hesitation, Ukraine Goes Toe to Toe With Russia in Bakhmut”, in The New York…. From the entry pitched battle
  • Years later, I met a guy who had deckhanded on her after I did, and he was a little more equivocal.2011, Bruce Burrows, The River Killers, →ISBN, page 16. From the entry deckhand
  • The phonological evidence is also equivocal: some fact suggest that affricatives are monosegmental, whereas other facts suggest that they are bisegmental.1999, Iggy Roca, Wyn Johnson, A Course in Phonology, Blackwell Publishers, page 205. From the entry monosegmental
  • The cause of the backthrusting is equivocal.1996, P.K. Sims, L.M.H. Carter, editor, Archean and Proterozoic Geology of the Lake Superior Region, U.S.A., 1993 (U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY…. From the entry backthrusting
  • We can stop being embarrassed, equivocal or defensive about Zionism, which is, after all, one of the world’s most successful movements of national liberation.2023 November 7, Bret Stephens, “For America’s Jews, Every Day Must Be Oct. 8”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 15…. From the entry October 8th Jew
  • In 3 of his cases, abnormal findings were equivocal or absent in the anteroposterior view but clearly demonstrable in the frog view.1963, RSNA Index to Imaging Literature - Volume 81, page 361. From the entry frog view
  • Particularly did the Kaiser call attention to the equivocal and unloyal position of England which had destroyed the hope of a peaceful issue.1918, James W. Gerard, Face to Face with Kaiserism. From the entry unloyal

Meaning of equivocal

  1. adjective Having two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation.
  2. adjective Capable of being ascribed to different motives, or of signifying opposite feelings, purposes, or characters; deserving to be suspected.
  3. adjective Uncertain, as an indication or sign.

Full definition of equivocal

Questions about equivocal in a sentence

How do you use equivocal in a sentence?
Equivocal is used as an adjective and noun. For example: “His actions are equivocal.”
What is a short sentence with equivocal?
“an equivocal sentence”
What does equivocal mean?
Equivocal means having two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: equivocal (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use equivocal in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/equivocal. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.