as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
vacillated for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision
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Recent Examples of vacillate
Here are signs leadership has slipped into chaos: No clear priorities: Leaders who view all issues as urgent communicate constantly vacillating expectations, creating massive confusion.
—
Kathy Miller Perkins, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
On Ransom Canyon, Minka Kelly's Quinn vacillates between feelings for wealthy rancher and town bigwig, Davis Collins (Eoin Macken), and longtime crush, salt-of-the-earth rancher, Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel).
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Val, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival, is a genuinely surprising and strange movie that vacillates between emotional extremes at an almost minute-by-minute pace.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
Yes, but: The bird flu outbreak has vacillated in the last three years and could quickly spike again.
—Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacillate
Kathy Miller Perkins, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
On Ransom Canyon, Minka Kelly's Quinn vacillates between feelings for wealthy rancher and town bigwig, Davis Collins (Eoin Macken), and longtime crush, salt-of-the-earth rancher, Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel).
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Val, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival, is a genuinely surprising and strange movie that vacillates between emotional extremes at an almost minute-by-minute pace.
—Rachel Handler, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
Yes, but: The bird flu outbreak has vacillated in the last three years and could quickly spike again.
—Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vacillate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacillate
Verb
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Marsch didn’t hesitate to call on the 21-year-old to replace Davies in March.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
-
Don’t hesitate to make the most of this energy by planning a fun night out with friends or a romantic evening with your crush.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
20 May 2025
Verb
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If trade negotiations falter, these tariffs could take effect, potentially igniting a trade war and unsettling global markets.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
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But after a flagrant foul by Clark against Reese on Saturday, all the prior talk from each athlete about a lack of a rivalry seemed to falter.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vacillate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacillate. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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