Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [pri-var-i-keyt]
- /prɪˈvær ɪˌkeɪt/
- /prɪˈvær.ɪ.keɪt/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [pri-var-i-keyt]
- /prɪˈvær ɪˌkeɪt/
Definitions of prevaricate word
- verb without object prevaricate to speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie. 1
- intransitive verb prevaricate avoid telling the truth 1
- verb prevaricate If you prevaricate, you avoid giving a direct answer or making a firm decision. 0
- verb prevaricate to speak or act falsely or evasively with intent to deceive 0
- intransitive verb prevaricate to turn aside from, or evade, the truth; equivocate 0
- intransitive verb prevaricate to tell an untruth; lie 0
Information block about the term
Origin of prevaricate
First appearance:
before 1575 One of the 34% oldest English words
1575-85; < Latin praevāricātus, past participle of praevāricārī to straddle something, (of an advocate) collude with an opponent's advocate, equivalent to prae- pre- + vāricāre to straddle, derivative of vārus bent outwards, bow-legged
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Prevaricate
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
prevaricate popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 48% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
prevaricate usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for prevaricate
verb prevaricate
- altercate — to argue, esp heatedly; dispute
- argufy — to argue or quarrel, esp over something trivial
- bait and switch — Bait and switch is used to refer to a sales technique in which goods are advertised at low prices in order to attract customers, although only a small number of the low-priced goods are available.
- beat around the bush — to talk around a subject without getting to the point
- beg the question — If you say that something begs a particular question, you mean that it makes people want to ask that question; some people consider that this use is incorrect.
Antonyms for prevaricate
verb prevaricate
- decide — If you decide to do something, you choose to do it, usually after you have thought carefully about the other possibilities.
Top questions with prevaricate
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See also
Matching words
- Words starting with p
- Words starting with pr
- Words starting with pre
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- Words starting with prevaric
- Words starting with prevarica
- Words starting with prevaricat
- Words starting with prevaricate