paltering

9.9

To give vague answers on purpose to hide the truth

noun
/ˈpɔltərɪŋ/

: elusión

His subtle paltering was almost as dishonest as a direct falsehood.

Examples

His paltering during the meeting confused everyone.
The politician's paltering left the audience uncertain about his true intentions.
She accused management of paltering rather than giving straightforward answers.
She was accused of paltering to avoid giving a straight answer.
His paltering during the negotiations left the team confused about their true intentions.
The politician's paltering made it difficult for voters to understand his actual policy proposals.
She resorted to paltering when asked about her past, avoiding giving a direct answer.

Synonyms

prevarication

vspaltering

Formal

3 9.9

To avoid telling the truth by being vague or misleading

uses vague or ambiguous language rather than telling a direct lie

dissembling

vspaltering

3 9.9

Hiding your true feelings or intentions by pretending

hides information by being vague instead of pretending openly

deceptiveness

vspaltering

1 7.2

A quality that makes something seem true when it is false

focuses on deceiving by being intentionally vague rather than direct lying

misleadingness

vspaltering

9.0

The quality of making people believe something that is not true

creates deception specifically through vague or ambiguous wording

Antonyms

honesty

365 1.0

Being truthful and fair in what you say and do

clarity

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

How Evasive

paltering

9.9

evasion

Specialized

38 6.2

avoidance

39 3.7

Surface Forms

paltering singular

palterings plural

Morphology

paltering = palter (transparent) = palter + ing

Formed by the regular gerund/nominal -ing on the verb 'palter', so the meaning 'the act of paltering' is directly derived.

Etymology

Paltering comes from the older verb palter, which once meant 'to haggle' or to play tricks with words. Think of it as 'trading' small answers to avoid the truth, so paltering means not telling the whole truth by using unclear language rather than saying a straight lie.