paltering
Technically true deception
Paltering is a form of deception that uses truthful statements to create a false impression.
Unlike outright lying, paltering involves selective truth-telling, misleading by omission, or technically accurate statements designed to deceive: The salesman wasn't lying exactly—he was paltering, letting me believe the car had never been in an accident.
The verb palter means to engage in this kind of equivocation.
Noncommittal maneuvering
- quibblingPetty objection-raising
- prevaricationMisleading speech avoiding directness
- tergiversationAbandoning a position evasively
- sophistryDeceptive reasoning
casuistry · doublespeak · circumlocution · obfuscation · ambiguity · vagueness · indirectness · fudging
Causing false beliefs
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- distortionTwisting from original state
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
misstatement · oversimplification · cherry-picking · omission · inaccuracy · misdirection
Misleading speech avoiding directness
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- distortionTwisting from original state
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- falsificationDeliberate alteration of truth
disinformation · deceit · duplicity · guile · chicanery · subterfuge · artifice · fraudulence
Rapid rotation around axis
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
- lobbyingAdvocating to decision-makers
- diplomacyNegotiation between nations
- doublespeakDeliberately misleading language
propaganda · campaigning · soundbites · talking-points · messaging · optics · deflection · whitewashing
Avoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- deflectionChange in trajectory
- avoidanceDeliberate keeping away
- shirkingAvoiding obligatory tasks
ducking · eluding · circumvention · diversion · slipperiness · caginess · nonresponsive · stonewalling
Convincing through reasoning
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- exploitationSelfish use of others
- coercionPressured compliance through threats
strategizing · tactics · leverage · engineering · gaming · calculating · machination · conniving
hedging
Noncommittal maneuvering
- quibblingPetty objection-raising
- prevaricationMisleading speech avoiding directness
- tergiversationAbandoning a position evasively
sophistry · casuistry · doublespeak · circumlocution · obfuscation · ambiguity · vagueness · indirectness · fudging · weaseling
misleading
Causing false beliefs
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- distortionTwisting from original state
- embellishmentDecorative addition or exaggeration
exaggeration · misstatement · oversimplification · cherry-picking · omission · inaccuracy · misdirection
prevarication
Misleading speech avoiding directness
- misrepresentationFalse or misleading statement
- distortionTwisting from original state
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
falsification · disinformation · deceit · duplicity · guile · chicanery · subterfuge · artifice · fraudulence · dissembling
spin
Rapid rotation around axis
- rhetoricArt of persuasive language
- lobbyingAdvocating to decision-makers
- diplomacyNegotiation between nations
doublespeak · propaganda · campaigning · soundbites · talking-points · messaging · optics · deflection · whitewashing
dodging
Avoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- deflectionChange in trajectory
- avoidanceDeliberate keeping away
shirking · ducking · eluding · circumvention · diversion · slipperiness · caginess · nonresponsive · stonewalling · runaround
persuasion
Convincing through reasoning
- maneuveringSkillful directional control
- schemingCrafty and calculating
- exploitationSelfish use of others
coercion · strategizing · tactics · leverage · engineering · gaming · calculating · machination · conniving · finagling
palteringhonesty
Truthfulness, sincerity
candor · truthfulness · forthrightness · veracity · sincerity
palteringbluntness
Frank, unvarnished manner
directness · straightforwardness · frankness · straight talk · telling it like it is