equivoque
Ambiguous word play
Equivoque is deliberate ambiguity, especially a pun or expression with a double meaning—one often risqué or indecent.
The term appears in literary criticism and rhetoric to describe wordplay that exploits multiple interpretations: The playwright delighted in equivoque, letting audiences catch the bawdy undertone.
Also spelled equivoke.
Words with suggestive second meaning
- paronomasiaRhetorical use of puns
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- play-on-wordsJoke exploiting double meanings
- quipBrief, clever remark
witticism · homophone · homonym · innuendo · jest · jape · banter · mot
Absence of precision
- polysemyWord having related meanings
- equivocalityState of being unclear
- obscurityState of being unknown
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
opacity · nebulousness · enigma · inexactness · unclearness · imprecision · doubtfulness · multivalence
Act of escaping detection
- prevaricationMisleading speech avoiding directness
- obfuscationDeliberate concealment through confusion
- misleadingCausing false beliefs
- equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
hedging · sophistry · dissembling · duplicity · ambiguity · misdirection · feint · subterfuge
Openness to multiple interpretations
- circumlocutionIndirect, wordy expression
- evasionAct of escaping detection
- equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
double-entendre
Words with suggestive second meaning
- paronomasiaRhetorical use of puns
- wordplayVerbal wit techniques
- play-on-wordsJoke exploiting double meanings
quip · witticism · homophone · homonym · innuendo · jest · jape · banter · mot · bon-mot
vagueness
Absence of precision
- polysemyWord having related meanings
- equivocalityState of being unclear
- obscurityState of being unknown
indeterminacy · opacity · nebulousness · enigma · inexactness · unclearness · imprecision · doubtfulness · multivalence
evasion
Act of escaping detection
- prevaricationMisleading speech avoiding directness
- obfuscationDeliberate concealment through confusion
- misleadingCausing false beliefs
equivocation · hedging · sophistry · dissembling · duplicity · ambiguity · misdirection · feint · subterfuge · doublespeak
ambiguity
Openness to multiple interpretations
- circumlocutionIndirect, wordy expression
- evasionAct of escaping detection
- equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
equivoqueplain speech
Unembellished verbal expression
explicit language · clarity · literalism · plain language · denotation
equivoquecandor
Unguarded truthfulness
frankness · forthrightness · plain dealing · straight talk · directness
equivocal, equivocate, equivocator, equivocally, equivocations, equivocators