In a manner that can be legitimately denied or rejected; subject to a claim of untruth or falsehood; open to question or contradiction. It implies a situation where the speaker or actor is presenting a statement or action in a way that allows for plausible deniability, either to avoid responsibility or to maintain an illusion of innocence. This often involves obfuscation, ambiguity, or providing incomplete information. The act is often related to political, legal, or social contexts where hiding the truth is an advantage. The degree of 'deniability' can range from readily apparent lies to carefully constructed narratives designed to withstand scrutiny.
Deniably meaning with examples
- The politician’s statement was deniably inaccurate, using carefully worded phrases that allowed him to later claim he didn’t explicitly lie. His advisors knew they had created wiggle room, but still maintained deniability. The scandal was largely based around this fact and used the lack of accountability to their advantage. His whole stance felt dishonest to anyone.
- The company implemented a deniably unethical marketing strategy, capitalizing on loopholes and misleading consumers without making outright false claims. This allowed the company to generate income, but also created risks regarding public opinion. Its executives shielded themselves from direct responsibility for the problematic advertisements. The company continued its policies.
- The spy's actions were, by design, deniably linked to their government, using coded messages and cutouts to maintain distance and create layers of plausible deniability in case of exposure. This allowed them to accomplish secret operations, without being directly exposed to the truth. Their entire purpose was to perform dangerous operations.
- During the interrogation, the suspect answered with deniably evasive responses, avoiding direct answers to incriminating questions while appearing cooperative. He took advantage of the situation. The lawyer told him to remain vague to provide any doubt that he was guilty. This created more suspicion, but it helped.
- The committee’s report was written with a deniably biased viewpoint, selectively presenting facts to support a predetermined conclusion, while remaining technically accurate. The members of the committee wanted to paint a certain view, and they used the word of the report to achieve this. They made the report at least deniably accurate.