Unequivocally

How to spell unequivocally

13 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce unequivocally

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unequivocally mean?

1. adverbIn a way that leaves no doubt or possibility of misinterpretation; absolutely and clearly.

Unequivocally in a sentence

• The board stated unequivocally that the merger would proceed.

• The lab results unequivocally confirmed the diagnosis.

Where does unequivocally come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin aequivocus, an adjective meaning 'having the same sound' and so 'ambiguous', built from aequus, meaning 'equal', and vox, meaning 'voice' or 'word'. Something aequivocus literally called things by the same name, so it could be read two ways. English borrowed the adjective 'equivocal' in the late 1500s for anything open to more than one interpretation, and the related verb 'equivocate' meant to speak in a deliberately misleading, double-tongued way. Adding the negative prefix un- and the adverb ending -ly flips the meaning entirely: to say something unequivocally is to leave no room for a second reading at all. The buried 'voc' is the same root found in 'voice', 'vocal', and 'vocation', and remembering that the word hides 'equi' (equal) and 'voc' (voice) helps explain its long, easily fumbled middle.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• equi- (from aequus: equal)
• voc (from vox: voice)
• -al (adjective)
• -ly (adverb)