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Tergiversation for Dummies

noun


What does Tergiversation really mean?

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Hey there! So, I heard you want to know what "tergiversation" means. Well, it's not a word we use every day, but that's okay, because I'm here to explain it to you in the simplest way possible.

Picture this: you're playing hide-and-seek with a friend, and you're the seeker. You start looking for your friend, and suddenly you see them running in one direction. But then, just as you're about to catch up with them, they abruptly change course and run in the opposite direction. That, my dear student, is a little bit like what tergiversation means.

Tergiversation, in its simplest form, means changing your mind, your position or your opinion, often in a sneaky or dishonest way. It's like playing a game of tag where someone keeps shifting their position, leaving you unsure where they really are.

Now, just like hide-and-seek can have different variations, the word "tergiversation" can have a few meanings too. Let me share them with you so we can get a complete understanding.

One way tergiversation can be used is when someone is flip-flopping on a decision or an opinion. Say, for example, a friend tells you they really love a certain type of ice cream and they want to get it. But when you get to the ice cream shop, they suddenly say they don't want it anymore and pick something else instead. That's tergiversation - changing your mind back and forth.

Another meaning of tergiversation is when someone tries to avoid answering a question or being honest about something. It's like when you ask your sibling if they ate the last cookie and they keep dodging the question, refusing to give a straight answer. That's tergiversation - being evasive and not giving a clear response.

So, think of tergiversation like a tricky game, where people change their mind constantly or try to avoid telling the truth. It's like that feeling you get when someone tells you they'll do something, but then keeps making excuses and never follows through. Frustrating, isn't it?

I hope that explanation helped you understand what "tergiversation" means. Remember, it's all about changing your mind or being evasive, which can make it hard to trust someone.

Revised and Fact checked by Michael Miller on 2023-10-30 05:44:28

Tergiversation In a sentece

Learn how to use Tergiversation inside a sentece

  • When Jake was asked whether he ate the last cookie, he engaged in tergiversation by avoiding a direct answer and instead blaming his little brother.
  • During the debate, the politician practiced tergiversation when he switched his stance on the issue multiple times to appease different groups of voters.
  • After getting caught cheating on the test, Maya resorted to tergiversation by making up excuses and trying to shift the blame onto her classmates.
  • The salesman's tergiversation became evident when he kept dodging the customer's direct questions about the quality and durability of the product.
  • In court, the suspect's tergiversation was clear as he gave contradictory statements and tried to confuse the jury to evade the truth.

Tergiversation Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

Tergiversation Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.