equivocal

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

adjective open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead
adjective open to question; ; -Anna Jameson
adjective uncertain as a sign or indication

From Late Latin aequivocus + -al, from aequus + vocō. By surface analysis, equi- + vocal.

What an equivocal language is ours! — The Comic English Grammar: A New And Facetious Introduction To The English Tongue, Percival Leigh
Hence the equivocal nature of the comic. — Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic, Henri Bergson
That man had his heroic and his equivocal sides. — Les Misérables, Victor Hugo

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