Ambiguity (Equivocation)
fallacy
Summary: Exploit double meanings to mislead.
A key term shifts definition during the argument, creating the appearance of logic while relying on semantic confusion.
Pattern prevalence
- Authors: top 6.8%, bottom 2%, overall 1.7%
- Publications: top 4.5%, bottom 1.9%, overall 2.1%
- Articles: top 20.4%, bottom 5.4%, overall 12.9%
Recent example
Park High School for Environmental Sustainability. The individual is currently identified. The cause of death will be
Recent articles
Man’s skeletal remains recovered from Jamaica Bay in Queens by NYPD 0%
New York Daily News - By Nicholas Williams - 5/31/2026, 12:05 AM
Appeal to Emotion 33.9% - Biased Writer Voice 30.7% - Negativity Bias 18.8%
Police recovered the remains of a man at Jamaica Bay in Queens on Friday morning, cops said. The unidentified partially decomposed remains were recovered along the shoreline by the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit around 7:35 a.m. near Beach Channel Dr. and Beach 100th St. in Arverne. Skeletal bones were visible as police removed the... more
2026 summer will be worst yet for teen employment in decades, WSJ predicts 0%
CBS News - 5/30/2026, 12:59 AM
Hasty Generalization 34.9% - Negativity Bias 23.8% - Anecdotal 23.3%
You probably remember the good old days when you flipped burgers, bagged groceries, or scooped ice cream. Simpler times. Well, now getting a summer job just isn't what it used to be. The Wall Street Journal reports that this summer is expected to be the worst for teen jobs since 1948 when the federal government started tracking the data.... more
White House finally reveals true purpose of 'alien.gov' after months of UFO speculation 0%
Daily Mail - By Stacy Liberatore - 5/29/2026, 12:41 PM
Unattributed Quote 44.1% - Negativity Bias 20.2% - Ambiguity (Equivocation) 19%
The White House has finally launched its mysterious 'alien.gov' website that it secured in March, revealing it was never meant for UFO disclosure. The site, which went live Thursday, opens with a Star Wars-style crawl as stars streak across the screen and ominous text warns that 'They walk among us,' teasing what appears to be a... more
Progress on short-term deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz: Sources 0%
ABC News - 5/29/2026, 12:04 PM
Framing Effect 36.8% - Negativity Bias 31.7% - Appeal to Authority 30.4%
This morning, sources tell ABC News US and Iranian negotiators are closing in on a short-term deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but President Trump has yet to give his seal of approval. >> I negotiate. They negotiate. They're very good negotiators. They're crafty, but uh in the end, we have all the cars. >> Officials say the framework... more
Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Oman amid talks over strait of Hormuz 0%
The Guardian - By Lucy Campbell - 5/27/2026, 8:42 PM
Negativity Bias 41.5% - Availability Heuristic 21.8% - Post Hoc (False Cause) 21.8%
Donald Trump has threatened to “blow up” Oman if it fails to “behave” in a casual aside during a cabinet meeting, as the US scrambles to reopen the strait of Hormuz. The US president made the threat after reports of talks between Iran and Oman about jointly charging a toll for ships passing through the crucial waterway, which has been... more
LDP OKs draft bill to punish national flag vandalism 30.3%
The Japan Times - By JIJI - 5/22/2026, 11:38 PM
Ambiguity (Equivocation) 33% - Status Quo Bias 18.1% - Framing Effect 15%
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has broadly approved a draft outline of a bill to punish public vandalism of the Japanese national flag and the posting of videos and images of such acts on social media. The draft calls for imposing penalties of up to two years in prison or fines of up to ¥200,000 for acts of vandalism that cause... more
Trump's top White House enforcer Susie Wiles ordered to turn over secret records 31.8%
Daily Mail - By Ross Ibbetson - 5/21/2026, 12:17 PM
Biased Writer Voice 12.4% - Availability Heuristic 11.4% - Appeal to Authority 9.5%
Politics is fast. We're faster. Sign up for the DC Insider newsletter for a front-row seat to Washington.. and unlock 3 FREE months of Donald Trump's White House staff have been ordered by a federal judge to preserve presidential records, including text messages, after the administration tried to dismiss a Watergate-era transparency law... more
Kansas Regents look to change state college policies to comply with anti-diversity mandates 7.3%
KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR - By Daniel Caudill - 5/21/2026, 9:00 AM
Ambiguity (Equivocation) 12% - Pessimism Bias 9.2% - Optimism Bias 6.5%
Kansas education officials are looking to change policy for the state’s public colleges to comply with Republican-supported mandates related to diversity, gender and race. In the state’s new annual budget, Kansas lawmakers passed regulations prohibiting colleges from requiring students to take courses focused on diversity, equity and... more
Trump shows reporters the White House ballroom construction site 65.7%
Associated Press - 5/20/2026, 12:32 AM
There will never be another building like this built. That I can tell you. I built a lot of great things. Shouting over banging and clinging sounds from heavy construction equipment, President Donald Trump on Tuesday gave a group of reporters a closer look at the construction for the White House ballroom. It's being built on the former... more
Vance and Rubio step behind the lectern — and deeper into 2028 territory 30.9%
The Washington Post - By Cat Zakrzewski, Natalie Allison - 5/19/2026, 10:42 PM
Biased Writer Voice 74.9% - Framing Effect 37.7% - Unattributed Quote 36.1%
The White House briefing room has turned into an unlikely testing ground for the next generation of Republican presidential hopefuls, as two potential 2028 contenders have leveraged turns at the lectern to improve their national profiles. The White House briefing room has become a stage for potential 2028 Republican presidential... more