Weasel words
Weasel words are words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that specific and meaningful statements have been said when in fact only vague, ambiguous, or irrelevant claims have been communicated. Using weasel words may allow one to later deny any specific meaning if the statement is challenged, because the statement was never specific in the first place. Weasel words may be used in advertising, (popular) science, opinion pieces and political statements to mislead or disguise a biased view or unsubstantiated claim.
Weasel words can harshen or over-state a controversial statement. An example of this is using terms like "somewhat" or "in most respects," which make a sentence more ambiguous than it would be without them.
A 2009 study of Wikipedia found that most weasel words in it could be divided into three main categories:
- Numerically vague expressions (for example, "some people", "experts", "many", "evidence suggests")
- Use of the passive voice to avoid specifying an authority (for example, "it is said")
- Adverbs that weaken (for example, "often", "probably")
Other forms of weasel words may include these:
- Illogical or irrelevant statements
- Use of vague or ambiguous euphemisms
- Use of grammatical devices such as qualifiers, negation and the subjunctive mood
- Use of the first person plural pronoun
- Vague generalizations
- Grouping together of only loosely related concepts
Opponents of men's rights often group loosely related concepts together in order to make an issue appear more common than it really is.
Examples
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