How do equivocation and prevarication differ from lying?

While lying, prevaricating, and equivocating all involve a lack of honesty, they differ in their directness and methods of deception.

• Lie is the most blunt and direct term. It explicitly imputes dishonesty, referring to the intentional act of making a statement one knows to be false.12
• Prevaricate is a softer term that typically implies evading the truth rather than making a direct, purposeful false statement. It often involves quibbling or confusing the issue to avoid a straightforward answer.12
• Equivocate involves the deliberate use of ambiguous language. An equivocator uses words with multiple meanings or senses to mislead others, allowing them to say one thing while intending another or to avoid committing to a specific position.123

Ultimately, while all three are forms of deception, lying is characterized by a clear intent to state an untruth, whereas prevarication and equivocation rely on evasion and linguistic ambiguity to obscure the truth.12