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EDIT

The word I am looking for is not pleonasm (it stresses to much on the redundancy of the chosen words, i.e. fewer words would suffice). It is not verbiage (it stresses to much about the complexity of the word choices).

My opinion about the suggested words:

waffle: To speak or write at length without any clear point or aim.

This is almost the meaning I am looking for. My only objection is that the dictionaries do not seem to agree upon its meaning. For example,

  • to talk or write foolishly —Webster Online
  • speak or write at length in a vague or trivial manner —Oxford Online
  • speech or writing that says nothing important —Cambridge Online

(Yes, they all sound similar, but to my ears there is considerable difference.)

doublespeak: the quoted meaning below sounds "too evil," as there seems to be deliberate/conscious evil intentions

gobbledegook: sounds too much like the speaker has no idea as to what he is talking about.

Had "waffle" universally been agreed to have the above meaning. I'd opt for it.

blackened
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    This is something that people sometimes use words to try to get away with not actually uttering something that someone else might be capable of hearing and deciphering into meaningless drivel. – Hot Licks Jul 05 '18 at 12:45
  • This question will be closed unless you provide a sentence where you show how this word would be used. – Mari-Lou A Jul 05 '18 at 13:04
  • "The words I found" Which words? Do you want users to post answers that simply repeat them? Please, edit your question and list the words you discarded – Mari-Lou A Jul 05 '18 at 13:05
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    @Mari-Lou Whether the question is duplicate or not, your given link is not what I am asking. – blackened Jul 05 '18 at 13:09
  • and Is there a word similar to “verbatim” but means “too many meaningless words used”? and What is the name of the tactic that politicians use to bury people with torrent of words? – Mari-Lou A Jul 05 '18 at 13:10
  • @Mari-Lou I don't have time to deal with your pointless criticism. I AM deleting the question. – blackened Jul 05 '18 at 13:12
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    It is the art of *evasion*. When an interviewer asks a difficult question, the astute politician will simply answer a different, but related one. – WS2 Jul 05 '18 at 13:16
  • @Mari-LouA - interestingly none of the many answers given in the “duplicates” overlaps with the ones posted in this question. – user 66974 Jul 05 '18 at 17:05
  • @user110518 the question is a duplicate, it's been asked many times before. The title is slightly misleading, but the main body is asking about evasive answers that do not answer the question. I warmly suggest that users post "waffle" and "double speak" in the older questions. You can cast your vote to reopen the question, as can anyone else with the necessary rep. – Mari-Lou A Jul 05 '18 at 17:11
  • @user110518 It would be helpful if the OP explained why the older questions are different from their newer question. A bit more detail, and a sentence showing how this word or expression would be used in this question is also recommendable. See the SWR tag description. – Mari-Lou A Jul 05 '18 at 17:15
  • "Evasion" or "waffle" as above, seem perfect. What does either lack, please? – Robbie Goodwin Jul 05 '18 at 19:51
  • This is obviously not a duplicate of either of the suggested questions. It is completely different. which is why none of the other answers overlap. For example, one of the questions is about "answering a different question"; this one is not about answering a different question but failing to properly answer the question asked. I don’t know how to (or if I am able to) vote for it to be reopened but I think it should be. –  Jul 06 '18 at 06:51
  • @WS2 While this is a form of evasion; it is not evasion by answering a different question. So they are both forms of evasion, but different ways of evading. –  Jul 06 '18 at 06:57

3 Answers3

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waffle

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

  • intransitive v. To speak or write evasively.
  • transitive v. To speak, write, or act evasively about.
  • n. Evasive or vague speech or writing.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

  • n. Speech or writing that is vague, pretentious or evasive.
  • v. To speak or write vaguely and evasively.
  • v. To speak or write at length without any clear point or aim.
  • v. To vacillate.
  • v. To rotate (one's hand) back and forth in a gesture of vacillation or ambivalence.
André Levy
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doublespeak TFD

Deliberately evasive, confusing, contradictory, and/or ambiguous language used to mislead or deceive the listener. Likely adapted from George Orwell's term "doublethink," from his 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, meaning the ability to simultaneously hold two opposing thoughts or beliefs as being correct in one's mind. Like any successful politician, she was quite adept at doublespeak whenever confronted with bad publicity.

or informal: gobbledegook

n. Unclear, wordy jargon.

lbf
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An idiomatic expression to convey the idea is beat about the bush:

To speak vaguely or euphemistically so as to avoid talking directly about an unpleasant or sensitive topic.

  • Don't beat around the bush—just tell me the truth. Why are you beating around the bush? Are you leaving our company?
Community
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user 66974
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