Building a Better Vocabulary

Lecture 14: Words Relating to Belief and Trust

“through or beyond the limits of faith.” A trusted friend who stabs

you in the back goes beyond the limits of your faith.

Equivocal (adjective)

Open to two or more interpretations, often with an intent to mislead or to

be purposely vague.

z Evidence and answers are often described as equivocal, as in: “The

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were an obvious ploy to avoid arrest.”

z Equivocate is the verb form of equivocal and means to use

unclear language, particularly with the intent to deceive. It’s the

perfect word to use with backtrackers, back peddlers, and anyone

who fudges, hedges, shillyshallies, or engages in double-talk.

Unequivocal is an antonym for equivocal, meaning “not equivocal,

leaving no doubt, clear, or unambiguous.”

z 7KH¿UVWSDUWRIequivocal comes from the Latin root equ, meaning

“equal” and found in such words as equality, equator, equilibrium,

and equidistant. The second part of equivocal comes from the

Latin root voc, meaning “call” and found in such words as vocal,

vociferous, and UHYRNH. To remember this word, highlight the equ

and voc roots in your vocabulary notebook, noting that equivocal

describes something, such as an answer, that gives “equal voice,

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z Equivocal is sometimes confused with ambiguous and ambivalent.

ż 7KH /DWLQ SUH¿[ ambi- in ambiguous means “both.” Thus,

something that’s ambiguous can have “both” possible

meanings; it’s not clear which one. Note that ambiguous means

vague and lacking clarity, while equivocal describes something

that is purposely ambiguous or vague, with the intent of

misleading. It’s the intent to mislead that often differentiates

between the two words.