Both Uses of
equivocal
in
Killing Kennedy
- He states unequivocally that any missile launched by the Cubans or Soviets will he considered an act of war and that the United States will reciprocate with missiles of its own.†
p. 118.5unequivocally = without ambiguity (in a completely clear manner)standard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unequivocally means not and reverses the meaning of equivocally. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- In it the Communist leader states calmly and unequivocally that the president's proposed naval blockade is "a pirate act."†
p. 124.6 *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(equivocal) unclear in meaning -- especially where opposing interpretations are reasonable (sometimes intentionally)
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
The form unequivocal (not equivocal; or clean in meaning) is encountered much more frequently, but equivocal is seen on many more SAT review lists.