equivocate
ih-KWIV-uh-kaytverbMeaning to use vague or double-meaning words to avoid taking a clear position
Memory hook EQUAL VOICES: yes AND no at once. Asked if he likes Aunt Tia’s purple soup, Sami says, “Well, it’s... very purple!” His answer could mean yes or no; he equivocates.
Asked if he liked the new haircut, Dad equivocated: “Well, it’s certainly... different.”
In context Instead of saying yes or no, the coach began to equivocate, talking about “options” and “seeing how things go” until the players gave up asking.
Similar hedge, waffle, dodge, be vague
Opposite commit, state plainly
From Late Latin aequivocus, “having the same sound, meaning two things”: aequi- (equal) + vox (voice).