Prevaricate

Pronunciation: /prɪˈværɪˌkeɪt/

Definitions of prevaricate

verb to speak or act in an evasive way; to deceive or stretch the truth

Example Sentences

A1 She never prevaricates when asked a direct question.

A2 The politician tried to prevaricate when confronted about his past actions.

B1 It is not advisable to prevaricate during a job interview, honesty is key.

B2 The witness was caught prevaricating on the stand, which damaged their credibility.

C1 The CEO's tendency to prevaricate in meetings caused distrust among the board members.

C2 The journalist prided themselves on never prevaricating in their reporting, always seeking the truth.

Examples of prevaricate in a Sentence

formal It is unethical for a witness to prevaricate while under oath.

informal Don't prevaricate about your whereabouts last night.

slang Stop prevaricating and just tell me the truth!

figurative His excuses were like a web of prevarications, impossible to unravel.

Grammatical Forms of prevaricate

• past tense: prevaricated
• plural: prevaricates
• comparative: more prevaricating
• superlative: most prevaricating
• present tense: prevaricates
• future tense: will prevaricate
• perfect tense: has prevaricated
• continuous tense: is prevaricating
• singular: prevaricate
• positive degree: prevaricate
• infinitive: to prevaricate
• gerund: prevaricating
• participle: prevaricated

Origin and Evolution of prevaricate

First Known Use: 1450 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'prevaricate' originated from the Latin word 'praevaricatus', which means to straddle or walk with the legs apart. It later evolved to mean to speak or act in an evasive way.

Evolution of the word: Over time, 'prevaricate' shifted from its original physical meaning to a more figurative one, referring to avoiding the truth or being intentionally misleading in speech or actions.