Dictionary

tergiversation en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /tɜːd͡ʒɪvəˈseɪʃən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /tɝd͡ʒɪvɚˈseɪʃən/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Latin tergiversātiō, from tergiversārī (“to turn one's back, to evade, to avoid”) + -tiō (“-tion: forming abstract nouns”). Equivalent to tergiversate + -ion.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of abandoning something or someone, of changing sides; desertion; betrayal.
   • They make their outward impudence their mask, as foxes, the better we may not see where they truly tend, nor their true black tergiversation beneath. 1985, John Fowles, A Maggot:
2. (countable, uncountable) The act of evading any clear course of action or speech, of being deliberately ambiguous; equivocation; fickleness.
   • Anyone who desires an hour's amusement may be advised to look up the tergiversations of eminent craniologists in their attempts to prove from brain measurements that women are stupider than men. 1931, Bertrand Russell, The Scientific Outlook:

Forms

Relateds

tergiversate

Synonyms

Judas kiss · perfidy · breach of promise · prodition · betrayal · traitory · swike · treason · double-dealing · Punic faith · perfidiousness · prodition · perfidy · treachery · stab in the back · breach of trust · treacherousness · tergiversation

Translations (11)

fi kiertely (act of evading clear course) · ro tergiversare (act of evading clear course) · mk отста́пништво (act of abandoning, changing sides) · mk вр́тење (act of evading clear course) · bg увъртане (act of evading clear course) · mk отстапу́вање (act of abandoning, changing sides) · pt tergiversação (act of evading clear course) · bg отстъпничество (act of abandoning, changing sides) · fi kaartelu (act of evading clear course) · fi takinkääntö (act of abandoning, changing sides) · es tergiversación (act of evading clear course)