hesitancy
noun
hes·i·tan·cy
ˈhe-zə-tən(t)-sē 
1
: the quality or state of being hesitant: such as
a
: slowness in acting or deciding due to doubt or uncertainty : indecision
He often reminded me of Orwell, not so much in feature as by a kind of hesitancy of manner, as if thinking for a second about the true meaning of what had been said before committing himself …—
Anthony Powell
Anthony Powell
b
: lack of willingness or eagerness to do something : reluctance
She took that drastic step only with the greatest hesitancy.
This hesitancy to hire is one of the reasons companies are so unfazed by the possibility of the economy slowing.—Rob Norton
Rob NortonI was naturally a little hesitant about asking exactly how much he did earn—but there was no hesitancy on his part as he flourished his pay slip.—Richard Carver
see also vaccine hesitancy
Richard Carver2
plural hesitancies
: an act or instance of being hesitant : hesitation sense 1
… he speaks in a cheerful, self-deprecating fashion that seems to preclude silences or hesitancies on either side of a conversation.—Roger Angell
Roger Angell3
medical
: urinary hesitancy
… his chief complaint was hesitancy and intermittency of urination.—Ari J. Isaacson
Ari J. IsaacsonExamples of hesitancy in a Sentence
his appointment to the superintendency was confirmed by the school board without the least hesitancy
his hesitancy in pulling over into the next lane while he had a chance resulted in him missing his exit
Recent Examples on the Web
Big money’s hesitancy Wall Street hasn’t jumped on board with the same fervor as the average Joe.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 Dec. 2025
Their efforts were met with hesitancy from some families — installing sensors required Ayala to enter homes for installation, and some families had privacy concerns around providing data to the sensors.
—Alonso Daboub, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
Mel Walker, the data and AI practice leader for accounting firm CohnReznick, says that the federal government has moved too slowly to establish guidelines for AI, but that the hesitancy is likely in part the result of how quickly the technology is developing.
—John Kell, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
Probing the reluctance to borrow A lot of the hesitancy comes down to fear of risk, Karlan says.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
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Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 Dec. 2025
Their efforts were met with hesitancy from some families — installing sensors required Ayala to enter homes for installation, and some families had privacy concerns around providing data to the sensors.
—Alonso Daboub, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
Mel Walker, the data and AI practice leader for accounting firm CohnReznick, says that the federal government has moved too slowly to establish guidelines for AI, but that the hesitancy is likely in part the result of how quickly the technology is developing.
—John Kell, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
Probing the reluctance to borrow A lot of the hesitancy comes down to fear of risk, Karlan says.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hesitancy. Accessed 4 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hesitancy
noun
hes·i·tan·cy
ˈhez-ə-tən-sē
plural hesitancies
1
: a tendency to hesitate
2
: an act or instance of hesitating
Medical Definition
hesitancy
noun
hes·i·tan·cy
ˈhez-ə-tən(t)-sē
: the quality or state of being hesitant: such as
a
: lack of willingness or eagerness to do something
hesitancy to report symptoms
see also vaccine hesitancy
b
: urinary hesitancy
One patient had symptoms of urinary incontinence, frequency, nocturia and hesitancy …—Ray Addison, Nursing Times
Ray Addison, Nursing TimesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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