💹 A risk reducer 🌳 A hedge gardener 🤔 An evader

hedger

8.1

A person who avoids giving a clear yes-or-no answer

noun
/ˈhɛdʒər/

: evasor

Examples

On defense, Pau was primarily a hard hedger in PNRs against Nash.

Blog text (9)
During the meeting, he was such a hedger that no one could tell what his real opinions were.
When asked about the budget cuts, the director became a hedger, saying he needed to think things over before making any promises.
She became known as a hedger in negotiations, often avoiding direct answers to important questions.

Synonyms

waffler

vshedger

1 8.6

A person who gives vague answers to avoid making a clear decision

tends to dodge commitment or responsibility rather than only hesitate in speech

prevaricator

vshedger

Formal

1 9.9

A person who often avoids telling the truth and gives unclear answers

focuses on avoiding responsibility rather than habitually lying

equivocator

vshedger

Formal

9.9

A person who avoids clear answers and refuses to say yes or no

focuses on avoiding commitment or responsibility rather than just ambiguity

tergiversator

vshedger

Formal

9.9

A person who avoids clear answers and talks about something else

aims to avoid commitment or responsibility rather than merely shifting positions

stonewaller

vshedger

Literature

9.6

A person who refuses to answer questions and delays progress

prefers avoiding commitment or responsibility rather than openly blocking progress

How Direct

straight shooter

Informal

13 3.7

hedger

8.1

equivocator

Formal

9.9

Surface Forms

hedger singular

hedgers plural

Morphology

hedger = hedge (transparent) = hedge + er

Agentive formation from the verb 'to hedge' (to equivocate); 'hedger' denotes one who hedges in speech or decisions.

Etymology

Hedger comes from hedge, which also came to mean 'avoid a direct choice', as in the phrase 'hedge your bets', so a hedger is someone who avoids giving a clear yes or no.