Word of the Day 9.12.08

prevarication

pre·var·i·cate (pr-vr-kt)

intr.v. pre·var·i·cat·ed, pre·var·i·cat·ing, pre·var·i·cates

To stray from or evade the truth; equivocate. See Synonyms at lie2.

[Latin praevricr, praevrict- : prae-, pre- + vricre, to straddle (from vricus, straddling, from vrus, bent).]

pre·vari·cation n.

pre·vari·cator n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun

1.

prevaricationprevarication – a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

lie

falsehood, untruth, falsity – a false statement

fib, taradiddle, tarradiddle, tale, story – a trivial lie; “he told a fib about eating his spinach”; “how can I stop my child from telling stories?”

jactitation – (law) a false boast that can harm others; especially a false claim to be married to someone (formerly actionable at law)

whopper, walloper – a gross untruth; a blatant lie

white lie – an unimportant lie (especially one told to be tactful or polite)

2.

prevarication – intentionally vague or ambiguous

evasiveness, equivocation

equivocalness, ambiguity – unclearness by virtue of having more than one meaning

untruthfulness – the quality of being untruthful

3.

prevarication – the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

lying, fabrication

falsification, misrepresentation – a willful perversion of facts

fibbing, paltering – a trivial act of lying or being deliberately unclear

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Posted on September 12, 2008 by admin

Filed under Word of the Day | | No Comments »



Leave a Reply