1
as in reluctance
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
his appointment to the superintendency was confirmed by the school board without the least hesitancy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
his hesitancy in pulling over into the next lane while he had a chance resulted in him missing his exit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hesitancy
But a broader cultural hesitancy about the technology’s implications meant that, once OpenAI made its breakthrough, Altman—its C.E.O.—came to be seen not only as a fiduciary steward but also as an ethical one.
—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Many of their star performers were overworked, in part due to poor feedback loops with leadership, lack of strong team communication and an overall hesitancy to name workload imbalances.
—Woodrie Burich, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Backlash against Harvard’s initial response to antisemitism accusations Harvard’s initial hesitancy to condemn the Hamas terror attack led to accusations that Harvard had become tolerant of antisemitism.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Long after his work was exposed as fraudulent, Wakefield left a legacy of harm that persists even today, Vaccine hesitancy is rising again in the United States.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Many of their star performers were overworked, in part due to poor feedback loops with leadership, lack of strong team communication and an overall hesitancy to name workload imbalances.
—Woodrie Burich, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Backlash against Harvard’s initial response to antisemitism accusations Harvard’s initial hesitancy to condemn the Hamas terror attack led to accusations that Harvard had become tolerant of antisemitism.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Long after his work was exposed as fraudulent, Wakefield left a legacy of harm that persists even today, Vaccine hesitancy is rising again in the United States.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitancy
Noun
-
Perhaps what’s driving continued reluctance to cover these products for weight loss is the overall impact that GLP-1s have on employers’ pharmacy budgets.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
-
But that would be a huge change in direction, given his consistent reluctance to confront and punish the Kremlin so far.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
The memory of what happened the last time around might be contributing to the hesitation.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
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Most purchases aren’t made through a purely logical process but are influenced by how customers feel in the moment—whether a price excites them, creates hesitation or triggers an impulse buy.—
Anton Timashev,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
Boomers are more likely to emphasize resilience, self-reliance, and the belief that personal struggles should be handled privately, that seeking help is a weakness, resulting in a hesitance to seek external support like therapy.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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However, there was hesitance among owners to strip division champions of their first-round home-field advantage, prompting the modification to reseed after the wild-card round.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Noun
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In addition to the hiring freeze, University President Ron Daniels also announced a pause in annual pay increases for employees earning $80,000 or more, a slowing of capital projects by 10% to 20%, and spending cuts for travel, events, food, and supplies.—
Paul Weinstein Jr,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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That can mean pressing pause on hiring, cutting workers' hours and even laying off staff, business owners say.—
Anne Marie D. Lee,
CBS News,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitancy. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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