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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hesitancy
For Nayyar, overcoming user hesitancy, particularly among older generations, has been an ongoing educational process.
—
Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Nantz’s hesitancy was somewhat understandable since the referees were confused, as well.
—Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
There are plenty of directions the franchise could go, but a hesitancy to commit to anything more than one-off stories.
—Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Nantz’s hesitancy was somewhat understandable since the referees were confused, as well.
—Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
There are plenty of directions the franchise could go, but a hesitancy to commit to anything more than one-off stories.
—Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitancy
Noun
-
The couple also saw reluctance from insurance companies to get involved in rebuilding, with at least one firm denying their claim.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2026
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In addition to Trump’s reluctance this term to fire high-level Cabinet officials, and his disinterest in addressing his past Epstein friendship, Lutnick is also a longtime friend of the president who has defended his tariff regime against intra-party criticism.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
One mistake or moment of hesitation could mean death.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
-
This feature helps eliminate jerky movements and hesitation.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Company leaders have attributed slower demand to higher mortgage rates, economic uncertainty and consumers’ hesitance to spring for pricier projects.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
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But the unwillingness to even take them, the same hesitance that Nance and most others believed was in the past, is hurting his overall game.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Funding was eventually restored after a series of lawsuits challenging payment pauses, eligibility requirements, and requests from the federal government for sensitive citizen data.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
14 Feb. 2026
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That pause in dopamine release signals a failure in reward arrival, a new kind of prediction error.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitancy. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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