as in ambivalent
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Dissimilar Words
as in faltering
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
I didn't hesitate to tell them that what they were doing was wrong and that I wanted no part of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of hesitating
Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The appeals court, however, said staying the injunction serves the public interest by preventing federal agents from hesitating while carrying out lawful duties.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Although police still can use less-lethal weapons to contain unruly demonstrators, the city claimed the rules put officers at risk of hesitating in chaotic situations.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Survey respondents shared multiple ways that unemployment can have a negative impact including cancelling dates for financial reasons and hesitating to even ask someone out at all.
—Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 13 Jan. 2026
Despite unified denouncements of antisemitism, Fetterman criticized colleagues for hesitating to fully confront anti-Israel hostility.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025
In the viral clip on Instagram, Pearl was hesitating on the edge of the bed before eventually figuring out how to climb up.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
The Nuggets became prone to operating with one-dimensional caution, hesitating to shoot open 3s, immediately looking to return the ball to Jokic in the post and subsequently telegraphing entry passes.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Chamandy said that, because of the ambiguity associated with the tariffs, companies are still hesitating to change suppliers until the dust settles.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
However, if large enterprises are hesitating to commit and implement, that’s a broader industry headwind impacting everyone, not just SAP.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The appeals court, however, said staying the injunction serves the public interest by preventing federal agents from hesitating while carrying out lawful duties.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Although police still can use less-lethal weapons to contain unruly demonstrators, the city claimed the rules put officers at risk of hesitating in chaotic situations.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Survey respondents shared multiple ways that unemployment can have a negative impact including cancelling dates for financial reasons and hesitating to even ask someone out at all.
—Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 13 Jan. 2026
Despite unified denouncements of antisemitism, Fetterman criticized colleagues for hesitating to fully confront anti-Israel hostility.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025
In the viral clip on Instagram, Pearl was hesitating on the edge of the bed before eventually figuring out how to climb up.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025
The Nuggets became prone to operating with one-dimensional caution, hesitating to shoot open 3s, immediately looking to return the ball to Jokic in the post and subsequently telegraphing entry passes.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Chamandy said that, because of the ambiguity associated with the tariffs, companies are still hesitating to change suppliers until the dust settles.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitating
Adjective
-
The event evidently singled out Newsom due to his frontrunner status in very early pre-campaign polling, as well as the leading role California’s high tech industry plays in developing AI and Newsom’s somewhat ambivalent attitude toward AI’s potential effects.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Based on the public defender’s account, Bell appeared at best ambivalent in the face of blatant prosecutorial misconduct.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Another cousin, the son of my industrialist uncle, has given up regattas and the hedonist’s life for a position in his father’s company that is, like all companies in Turkey, faltering under the tremendous burden of an economy in tailspin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
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The announcement by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering over changes in the format and content of the talks.—
JON GAMBRELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Even over Zoom, with a shaky internet connection, Mikaela Shiffrin—the winningest alpine skier of all time, male or female—is effervescent.—
Nick Remsen,
Vogue,
7 Feb. 2026
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Confronted by a shaky office market, a growing number of developers are considering ways to convert their office properties to other uses such as housing projects or data centers.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Researchers hope that the TAL system could eventually be a viable strategy for patients who are waiting for donor lungs — specifically, those with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) along with necrotizing pneumonia or septic shock.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
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Officers then moved in on the nurses who did not give way, zip-tied their hands and led them to waiting police vans.—
Barry Williams,
New York Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This is the Alcaraz who is unbeatable, a man who cut out the vacillating streaks in his game that derailed him in Melbourne and Wimbledon.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This year, anxiety over the federal government and a wavering stock market is making people less secure in their finances, causing some tenants to move in with family or friends — leaving studio and one-bedroom apartments empty.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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In his new role, Jejurikar will be tasked with driving sales performance amid a wavering global market.—
Vogue Business Team,
Vogue,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Instead, a suitcase and a random assortment of clothes disappeared along with her.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
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PlayStation consoles rely on a type of dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chips, which are in short supply as demand from artificial intelligence and data center operators increases.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The film, which shows an aimless day in the life of Austin, showcases some of its more eccentric characters.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
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Any shred of free time is too easy to fill with more work, more worrying, more commitments, and, of course, more aimless scrolling.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitating. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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