What does prevaricate mean?
Prevaricate means to avoid speaking plainly, particularly by evading a question, obscuring the facts, or failing to admit what is true. The word often implies more than simple uncertainty: a person who prevaricates may be deliberately misleading or evasive, although the term can also describe circumlocution and delay. It is used in formal contexts such as law, politics, journalism, and public inquiries, as in “the witness prevaricated under questioning.” The related noun prevarication denotes the practice or the speech used to dodge the truth, while prevaricator refers to someone who evades or misrepresents facts. Although prevaricate sounds somewhat old-fashioned and strongly disapproving, it remains useful for describing speech that avoids a clear, honest answer rather than merely being poorly expressed.
verbTo speak evasively or misleadingly, especially to avoid answering a question or admitting the truth.
- To evade the truth or avoid giving a direct answer, especially through evasive or misleading speech.
- To avoid fulfilling a responsibility, answering a question, or committing to a position by using delay or ambiguity.
"The witness continued to prevaricate rather than give a direct account of what had happened."
"Instead of admitting the error, the official prevaricated with vague statements about technicalities."
"After several minutes of prevaricating, the applicant finally gave a clear account of the situation."
Prevaricate comes from a Latin word for walking crookedly, so its history literally involves going off course.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prevaricate come from?
Prevaricate derives from the Latin praevaricari, meaning “to walk or go crookedly” and, figuratively, to act deviously or evade a proper course of action. English usage developed from the sense of behaving evasily or deceitfully, especially by departing from the truth. The word entered English in the 17th century in the context of legal and theological argument, where it described crooked or deceptive handling of a matter.
Related word forms
How prevaricate is actually used
Prevaricate is formal and often carries the implication of deliberate avoidance or misrepresentation. In legal and political contexts, it can suggest that a person is knowingly withholding the truth; in less formal use, it may describe ordinary evasiveness.
Easily confused with prevaricate
Equivocate emphasizes deliberate vagueness or ambiguity, whereas prevaricate more strongly suggests evading a direct answer or avoiding the truth.