nonanswer
Sidestepping the question
A nonanswer is a response that evades or fails to address the actual question asked.
Politicians are notorious for giving nonanswers during interviews, appearing to respond while saying nothing substantive: When pressed about the scandal, he gave a carefully worded nonanswer.
The term implies deliberate deflection rather than simple misunderstanding.
Change in trajectory
- sidestepEvade by moving aside
- dodgeAvoid by quick movement
- avoidanceDeliberate keeping away
- circumlocutionIndirect, wordy expression
equivocation · prevarication · stonewalling · sidestepping · runaround · noncommittal · hedging · waffling
Failing to react or reply
- ignoringDeliberately not noticing
- stonewallingDeliberately refusing to respond
- no commentRefusal to speak
- withholdingKeeping from another
reticence · muteness · refusal · taciturnity · clamming up · tight-lipped · mum · blank stare
Intentional misleading distraction
- distractionThing diverting one's attention
- smokescreenConcealment through misdirection
- tangentLine touching curve once
- diversionRedirection of attention
irrelevance · non sequitur · changing the subject · pivoting · whataboutism · deflection · detour · decoy
Not easily understood
- nebulousUnclear and formless
- impreciseLacking exactness or accuracy
- indefiniteNot precisely determined
- ambiguousHaving multiple interpretations
nonspecific · indistinct · fuzzy · hazy · obscure · muddy · wishy-washy · noncommittal
Causing false beliefs
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- half-truthDeceptive incomplete statement
- omissionFailure to include
distortion · obfuscation · dissembling · doublespeak · disinformation · sophistry · gaslighting · selective truth
deflection
Change in trajectory
circumlocution · equivocation · prevarication · stonewalling · sidestepping · runaround · noncommittal · hedging · waffling · filibuster
unresponsive
Failing to react or reply
- ignoringDeliberately not noticing
- stonewallingDeliberately refusing to respond
- no commentRefusal to speak
withholding · reticence · muteness · refusal · taciturnity · clamming up · tight-lipped · mum · blank stare · dead air
red herring
Intentional misleading distraction
- distractionThing diverting one's attention
- smokescreenConcealment through misdirection
- tangentLine touching curve once
diversion · irrelevance · non sequitur · changing the subject · pivoting · whataboutism · deflection · detour · decoy · feint
unclear
Not easily understood
- nebulousUnclear and formless
- impreciseLacking exactness or accuracy
- indefiniteNot precisely determined
ambiguous · nonspecific · indistinct · fuzzy · hazy · obscure · muddy · wishy-washy · noncommittal · generality
misleading
Causing false beliefs
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- half-truthDeceptive incomplete statement
omission · distortion · obfuscation · dissembling · doublespeak · disinformation · sophistry · gaslighting · selective truth · falsehood
nonansweranswer
Solution to query
solution · direct response · resolution · response · key