tergiversation
- noun
- /ˌtɜr.dʒɪ.vɚˈseɪ.ʃən/
- Formal
:
tergiversación
- There is tergiversation in the mutations of some regimes: the Doe regime, for instance, was populist but soon degenerated into totalitarianism and then metamorphosed into elected civilian government.
Examples
-
His is hardly the first voice to be successfully raised against them, but in the end, and only after pages of Byzantine tergiversations along the way to his conclusion, Mastny at last makes his telling point.
Academic text (1999) -
The politician's continual tergiversation frustrated his supporters, as they sought clear answers on his policies.
-
Her tergiversation during the meeting made it difficult for the team to trust her commitment to the project.
-
Rather than giving a direct answer, he resorted to tergiversation, leaving everyone confused about his true position.
Synonyms
9
9.9
Using unclear language to hide the truth and avoid giving a clear answer
3
9.9
To avoid telling the truth by being vague or misleading
3
7.4
Avoiding giving a direct answer so people do not know what you really think
Antonyms
How Evasive
- Literature
7
8.2
- Formal
12
6.6
- Formal
9
9.9
8
6.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
tergiversation = tergiversate (opaque) = tergivers + ation
Although formed by a regular nominalizing pattern from the verb 'tergiversate', the verb and its root are rare and not transparent to most learners.
Etymology
Tergiversation comes from Latin parts tergi- ('back') and vers- ('turn'). Think of it as 'turning your back' on a question, so tergiversation means avoiding a clear answer by using unclear or evasive words.