prevaricator

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“
He was not willingly a prevaricator, and hated thoroughly to make explanations concerning it.

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Definitions (5)

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  1. One who prevaricates; a shuffier; a quibbler. This petty prevaricator of America, the zanie of Columbus (for so he must be till his worlds end), having rambl'd over the huge topography of his own vain thoughts, no marvell if he brought us home nothing but a meer tankard drollery. Milton, Apology for Smectymnuus.
  2. One who acts with unfaithfulness and want of probity; one who abuses a trust. The law which is promulged against prevaricators. Prynne, Treachery and Disloyalty, p. 160, App. The Civilians define a prevaricator to be one that betrays his cause to the adversary and turns on the criminal's side, whom he ought to prosecute. Kennet, Rom. Antiquities, II. iii. 18.
  3. Formerly, at the University of Cambridge, England, the opponent of the inceptor at commencement. He delivered a prefatory oration, freely satirizing prominent individuals. Was spent in hearing several exercises in the scholes, and after dinner y Proctor opened y Act at St. Marie's (according to custome), and y Prevaricators their drolery. Evelyn, Diary, July 8, 1654.

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Examples (50)

  • The media embellished a narrative, Al Gore was a serial prevaricator, even as Bush told the most outlandish stories about his tax proposals and their likely impacts without them batting an eye. —  Balloon Juice
  • If it was not obvious with the writing of Dominion six years ago, Scully in particular has since revealed himself to be a sham, fraud, charlatan, prevaricator, hypocrite, and (neo -) con man, an enemy not only to animals, but also a de facto opponent of women, science, secularism, freedom of speech, and the environment. —  Dandelion Salad
  • Rove, the worst prevaricator of the past decade calling Biden an … oooh … exaggerator! —  WordPress.com News
  • Clinton was a poll-driven prevaricator who dropped the ball when it came to terrorism. —  Notes From D. R.
  • By now those reading this website and others endeavoring to tell the truth about Sarah Palin know that she is a facile prevaricator who lies with aplomb. —  Capitol Hill Blue - The oldest political news site on the Internet
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (1)

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. = French prévaricateur = Provencal Spanish Portuguese prevaricador = Italian prevaricatore, from Latin prævaricator, one who violates his duty: see prevaricate.
 

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