as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
the president was soundly criticized for his vacillation before responding to the crisis
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Recent Examples of vacillation
The vacillation between tragic and comic set pieces does justice to neither.
—
Moises Mendez Ii, TIME, 23 July 2024
Contrasting success stories with the vacillations of the current administration will project Trump as a global colossus.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 14 July 2024
This administration’s vacillation in trying to dictate Israeli military options, including withholding weapons, only prolongs it.
—Chris Eddy, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2024
Espinosa’s Billy Jay is also a huge asset: His vacillation between cornfed, charming-despite-yourself naïveté and furtive, ambitious, even possibly sinister unknowability is—perhaps a little ironically—the play’s most compelling character arc.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 8 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for vacillation
Moises Mendez Ii, TIME, 23 July 2024
Contrasting success stories with the vacillations of the current administration will project Trump as a global colossus.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 14 July 2024
This administration’s vacillation in trying to dictate Israeli military options, including withholding weapons, only prolongs it.
—Chris Eddy, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2024
Espinosa’s Billy Jay is also a huge asset: His vacillation between cornfed, charming-despite-yourself naïveté and furtive, ambitious, even possibly sinister unknowability is—perhaps a little ironically—the play’s most compelling character arc.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 8 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for vacillation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacillation
Noun
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Others declined to comment, while Council members Roger Dickinson and Mai Vang cited initial hesitation.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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The host then ran over to Sabrina and flipped the container over without a moment’s hesitation, spilling dirt on the table and across the floor.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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At least one legislator expressed hesitancy during a Senate committee vote Wednesday about the legislation’s expansive footprint.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Mar. 2025
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Concerns about data quality, compliance and the rapid pace of AI advancements have created hesitancy, particularly when AI is hastily deployed into customer-facing applications.—
Sumit Johar,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Dasha led the melodic charge with short phrases that captured the character’s hesitance.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
8 Apr. 2025
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That could indicate a hesitance to cut rates because lower rates can give inflation more fuel.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The president announced a 90-day pause for several countries but increased tariffs on Chinese goods to 125%.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2025
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Hedge fund honcho Bill Ackman joined a growing list of President Donald Trump's billionaire backers calling for the White House to slam the brakes on tariffs just hours before Trump authorized a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs for most countries that went into effect Wednesday morning.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vacillation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacillation. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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