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
Junior Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton has struggled to lift his team from their habit of first-half hesitancy, starting slow in each of their SEC games so far this year.
—
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
His grandfather, Leroy Hanlon, frustrated by this hesitancy, snatches the instrument out of Mike’s hand and carries out the deed himself.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
That hesitancy is echoed by some analysts, who said the concept currently lacked clarity.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
Christine, 53, now tells PEOPLE about her hesitancy to return to the series that made her family household names.
—Dory Jackson, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
His grandfather, Leroy Hanlon, frustrated by this hesitancy, snatches the instrument out of Mike’s hand and carries out the deed himself.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
That hesitancy is echoed by some analysts, who said the concept currently lacked clarity.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2025
Christine, 53, now tells PEOPLE about her hesitancy to return to the series that made her family household names.
—Dory Jackson, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitancy
Noun
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Reverence for the past, and reluctance to destroy until the risks of destruction are fully known, is not timidity but wisdom, in architecture as in life.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
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Part of their reluctance has stemmed in part from Mamdani's sharp criticism of Israel and its siege of Gaza, which Mamdani has called a genocide.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Neighbors expressed hesitation about the plans, citing the noise helicopters would cause, WPBF News 25 and WPTV reported.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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Villa had known Elliott was available in the months before, yet the price caused hesitation.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The judge continued to echo his hesitance following the reveal and shared an Instagram Stories post posing the question for fans.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Now, there is some reason for hesitance here, mainly because Raymond could be playing with a rotating cast on his line’s left wing this season.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If the pause continues, Forgotten Harvest will extensively fundraise.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Congress signed into law a divest-or-ban order during the Biden administration, but Trump—whose Justice Department must enforce a ban—issued, then repeatedly extended, an enforcement pause in the interest of coming to terms about divestiture.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitancy. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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