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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hesitating
Npr Staff, NPR, 17 Apr. 2026
The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
Palmer is the center of the film and building the cast around her initially had Riley hesitating.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
The Names by Florence Knapp After a devastating storm, Cora brings her newborn son to be registered, hesitating when pressured to name him after her controlling husband.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2026
Igor Jesus fluffed his lines when Omari Hutchinson sent him through on goal, hesitating too long and allowing Virgil van Dijk to snatch the ball.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Verb
Trump has criticized European countries for rejecting or hesitating to get involved in the war with Iran.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 17 Apr. 2026
The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
Palmer is the center of the film and building the cast around her initially had Riley hesitating.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
The Names by Florence Knapp After a devastating storm, Cora brings her newborn son to be registered, hesitating when pressured to name him after her controlling husband.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2026
Igor Jesus fluffed his lines when Omari Hutchinson sent him through on goal, hesitating too long and allowing Virgil van Dijk to snatch the ball.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitating
Adjective
-
But these unknown early writings suggest that he may be better understood as an immigrant writer—one of the gifted, ambivalent outsiders who remade American literature after World War II—whose most astonishing achievement was the all-American voice of On the Road and the books that came after.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The book’s ambivalent nostalgia has not kept it from succeeding prodigiously.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Magic played well before faltering down the stretch and had to win an elimination game in the play-in tournament.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In some ways, the pair of them have become symbolic of the hope that this team can rise again after faltering in recent weeks.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Caitlin Clark had a shaky return to WNBA action on Saturday after her season-ending injury last year.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Two weeks into the shaky, uncertain ceasefire, a form of normality has returned to the streets of Tehran.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Home plate umpire John Libka got an earful from Cron, who apparently thought Cortes was waiting for a resolution to the broken chain and not the pitch from Wacha.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
30 Apr. 2026
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Detectives say a group was apparently waiting for a rapper to leave the party.—
Cecilio Padilla,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 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
-
One night, Altman took an Ambien, only to be awakened by his husband, an Australian coder named Oliver Mulherin, who told him that Sutskever was wavering, and that people were telling Altman to speak with the board.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Music is the focal point of each service, with Jeffrey playing guitar and keyboards behind the curtain, singing in a wavering voice reminiscent of Jeff Mangum about the subjects, ideas and feelings that have occupied his mind at various stages of his life.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Those aren’t just random stories.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
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Law enforcement will also have random checkpoints throughout the county to catch impaired drivers, according to the department's website.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Long aimless drives opened up my small teenage world.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Trump’s goal is to distract you from rising gas prices, his aimless war, ICE abuses, and the Epstein files.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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