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It has been my fate in a long life of production to be credited chiefly with the equivocal virtue of industry, a quality so excellent in morals, so little satisfactory in art.
Margaret Oliphant

Meaning of "equivocal" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD EQUIVOCAL

From Late Latin aequivocus, from Latin equi- + vōx voice.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF EQUIVOCAL

equivocal  [ɪˈkwɪvəkəl] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF EQUIVOCAL

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Equivocal is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES EQUIVOCAL MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Equivocation

Equivocation is classified as an informal logical fallacy. It is the misleading use of a term with more than one meaning or sense. It generally occurs with polysemic words. It is often confused with amphiboly; the difference is that equivocation arises from an ambiguous definition of a word, while amphiboly refers to ambiguous sentence structure due to punctuation or syntax.

Definition of equivocal in the English dictionary

The first definition of equivocal in the dictionary is capable of varying interpretations; ambiguous. Other definition of equivocal is deliberately misleading or vague; evasive. Equivocal is also of doubtful character or sincerity; dubious.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH EQUIVOCAL


ammoniacal
ˌæməˈnaɪəkəl
barnacle
ˈbɑːnəkəl
binnacle
ˈbɪnəkəl
cenacle
ˈsɛnəkəl
coracle
ˈkɒrəkəl
maniacal
məˈnaɪəkəl
miracle
ˈmɪrəkəl
monocle
ˈmɒnəkəl
obstacle
ˈɒbstəkəl
oracle
ˈɒrəkəl
paradisiacal
ˌpærədɪˈsaɪəkəl
pentacle
ˈpɛntəkəl
pinnacle
ˈpɪnəkəl
receptacle
rɪˈsɛptəkəl
reciprocal
rɪˈsɪprəkəl
spectacle
ˈspɛktəkəl
tentacle
ˈtɛntəkəl
tubercle
ˈtjuːbəkəl
unequivocal
ˌʌnɪˈkwɪvəkəl
zodiacal
zəʊˈdaɪəkəl

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE EQUIVOCAL

equivalence
equivalence relation
equivalency
equivalent
equivalent air speed
equivalent circuit
equivalent focal length
equivalent weight
equivalently
equivalve
equivocality
equivocally
equivocalness
equivocate
equivocatingly
equivocation
equivocator
equivocatory
equivoke
equivoque

WORDS THAT END LIKE EQUIVOCAL

afocal
bifocal
confocal
focal
hyperfocal
interlocal
local
multifocal
multivocal
nonlocal
nonreciprocal
nonvocal
parfocal
semivocal
subvocal
trifocal
univocal
unvocal
varifocal
vocal

Synonyms and antonyms of equivocal in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «EQUIVOCAL»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «equivocal» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of equivocal

Translation of «equivocal» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF EQUIVOCAL

Find out the translation of equivocal to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of equivocal from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «equivocal» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

模棱两可
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

equívoca
570 millions of speakers

English

equivocal
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

गोलमोल
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

التباسا
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

двусмысленным
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

equívoca
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

সন্দেহজনক
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

équivoque
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Sama rata
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

zweideutig
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

曖昧な
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

모호
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Equivocal
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

không phân minh
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

தெளிவற்றேயுள்ளது
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

समोच्च
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

belirsiz
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

equivoco
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

niejednoznaczne
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

двозначним
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

echivoc
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

διφορούμενα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

dubbelsinnige
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

tvetydig
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tvetydig
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of equivocal

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «EQUIVOCAL»

The term «equivocal» is regularly used and occupies the 69.452 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
68
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «equivocal» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of equivocal
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «equivocal».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «EQUIVOCAL» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «equivocal» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «equivocal» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about equivocal

EXAMPLES

2 QUOTES WITH «EQUIVOCAL»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word equivocal.
1
Italo Calvino
A tale is born from an image, and the image extends and creates a network of meanings that are always equivocal.
2
Margaret Oliphant
It has been my fate in a long life of production to be credited chiefly with the equivocal virtue of industry, a quality so excellent in morals, so little satisfactory in art.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «EQUIVOCAL»

Discover the use of equivocal in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to equivocal and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Equivocal Beings: Politics, Gender, and Sentimentality in ...
She maintains that the reactionary reassertion of male sentimentality as a political duty displaced customary gender roles, rendering women, in Wollstonecraft's words, "equivocal beings."
Claudia L. Johnson, 2009
2
Equivocal Child Abuse
Exploring all facets of case management, the book discusses: Legal concepts and theory, the history of guardians ad litem, and the complexity of the processes involved in legal decision making How different court systems operate, the path ...
Sandra B. McPherson, Farshid Afsarifard, 2011
3
Equivocal Endings in Classic American Novels: The Scarlet ...
An original approach to four mainstream texts for the study of American literature and the novel in general.
Joyce A. Rowe, 1988
4
Equivocal Feminists: The Social Democratic Federation and ...
Examines the relationship between socialism and feminism through a detailed study of Britain's first Marxist party, the Social Democratic Federation.
Karen Hunt, 2002
5
Equivocal
Author's second collection explores elements of chance and mystery that determine human identity and relationships.
Julie Carr, 2007
6
Equivocal Communication
Equivocation, non-straightforward communication which includes messages that are ambiguous, indirect, contradictory or evasive, is highlighted as an important phenomenon in this volume.
Janet Beavin Bavelas, 1990
7
Ardent Complaints and Equivocal Piety: The Portrayal of the ...
Ardent Complaints and Equivocal Piety treats three sets of medieval German crusade poems, in most of which the crusades are pictured as a source of distress, disenchantment, or even annoyance.
William E. Jackson, 2003
8
Equivocal Subjects: Between Italy and Africa -- ...
This book provides an original theoretical approach to the Italian cinema that speaks to the nation's current political and social climate.
Shelleen Greene, 2014
9
Equivocal Death: A Novel
Just out of Harvard Law School, Kate Paine is on the fast track at Samson & Mills, the nation's richest, most powerful law firm.
Amy Gutman, 2003
10
Specifics of an Equivocal Genre: The Weimar Bergfilm
Outstanding alpine landscapes, tremendous vastness, overwhelming forces of nature – these are the features of a film genre Weimar cinema has become especially famous for, and, indeed, even today is often associated with: the German ...
Sabine Buchholz, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «EQUIVOCAL»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term equivocal is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Donald Trump gets a super PAC, but does he need it?
Trump's campaign appeared equivocal, if not pleased, by the news. "Given Mr. Trump's top-tier status in recent polls, it is not surprising that ... «Yahoo News, Jul 15»
2
After Court Ruling, Kafka Papers Go to Israeli National Library
At the heart of the debate lay the equivocal legal status of the Kafka estate. Brod – himself a major cultural figure known for his work as a ... «Algemeiner, Jul 15»
3
The E-Reader: Reviews of e-books
... of the wizard, who at first seems an almost comic figure, dissolves into a guarded belief, then turns once more back to equivocal doubt. «SFGate, Jul 15»
4
WTI crude halts six-day skid as Iran talks continue, China concerns …
In Vienna, hopes for a final agreement on an Iranian Nuclear Deal before Friday's deadline faded following equivocal comments from U.S. ... «Investing.com, Jul 15»
5
Asian-Americans and Japan's History Issues
... or will he appeal to conservative supporters and perhaps respect his own convictions by using more equivocal language, like “advance” and ... «Nippon.com, Jul 15»
6
The Work We Do While We Sleep
... of Pennsylvania (he is now at WSU Spokane) concluded that the evidence for sleep's putative effects on cognition was “weak or equivocal.”. «The New Yorker, Jul 15»
7
Israeli Court Rules: Priceless Kafka Collection Goes to Israel's …
At the heart of the debate lay the equivocal legal status of the Kafka estate. Brod – himself a major cultural figure known for his work as a ... «Jewish Business News, Jul 15»
8
Consumption Is Not a Sin
... to educate consumers to properly use their products, because consumption has saved many, but its equivocal use has had perverse results. «Huffington Post, Jul 15»
9
The "no" victory and the struggles ahead
On the other hand, the Communist Party (KKE), with its equivocal line—its unacceptable advocacy of neither yes nor no—refused to choose ... «International Viewpoint, Jul 15»
10
Monsanto and EPA knew of glyphosate cancer link in 1981
The EPA Science Advisory Panel was asked for advice, and they said the data were equivocal and called for further studies in mice and rats. «The Ecologist, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Equivocal [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/equivocal>. Apr 2024 ».
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