equivocal

(ĭ-kwĭv'ə-kəl)
adj.

1. Open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead; ambiguous. See synonyms at ambiguous.
2. Of uncertain significance.
3. Of a doubtful or uncertain nature.

[From Late Latin aequivocus : Latin aequi-, equi- + Latin vocāre, to call.]

equivocality e·quiv'o·cal'i·ty (-kăl'ĭ-tē) or e·quiv'o·cal·ness n.
equivocally e·quiv'o·cal·ly adv.

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adjective

1. Liable to more than one interpretation: ambiguous, cloudy, inexplicit, nebulous, obscure, uncertain, unclear, vague. See certain/uncertain, clear/unclear.
2. Deliberately ambiguous or vague: evasive. See clear/unclear.
3. Not affording certainty: ambiguous, borderline, chancy, clouded, doubtful, dubious, dubitable, inconclusive, indecisive, indeterminate, problematic, problematical, questionable, uncertain, unclear, unsure. Informal iffy. Idioms: at issue, in doubt, in question. See certain/uncertain, clear/unclear.
4. Of dubious character: doubtful, questionable, shady, suspect, suspicious, uncertain. Informal fishy. See honest/dishonest.

adj

Definition: doubtful, uncertain
Antonyms: certain, clear, definite, determined, obvious, plain, sure, unequivocal, unquestionable

IN BRIEF: Having a double or doubtful meaning.

The students argued for hours about the equivocal meaning of the directions for the project.

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For a list of words related to equivocal, see:

• Submissive, Uncertain, or Tentative

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See words rhyming with "equivocal."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Equivocal.

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - tvetydig, uklar, tvivlsom, mistænkelig

Nederlands (Dutch)
dubbelzinnig, dubieus, tweeslachtig, onbepaald

Français (French)
adj. - équivoque, ambivalent, ambigu, louche, incertain (un dénouement), douteux (une attitude)

Deutsch (German)
adj. - zweideutig, zweifelhaft

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αμφίσημος, διφορούμενος, ύποπτος, αμφισβητήσιμος, ασαφής

Italiano (Italian)
equivoco, ambivalente

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - ambíguo, equívoco

Русский (Russian)
двусмысленный, сомнительный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - equívoco, dudoso

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - tvetydig, tvivelaktig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
意义不明确的, 模棱两可的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 意義不明確的, 模棱兩可的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 두 가지 뜻으로 해석되는, 수상 쩍은

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 二つの解釈のできる, 不確かな, どっちつかずの, いかがわしい, あいまいな, 怪しい

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) ذو معنيين, ملبس‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮דו-משמעי, מפוקפק‬

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