Definition of hesitancy
1
: the quality or state of being hesitant: such as
a
: slowness in acting or deciding due to doubt or uncertainty : indecision
He often reminded me of Orwell, not so much in feature as by a kind of hesitancy of manner, as if thinking for a second about the true meaning of what had been said before committing himself …— Anthony Powell
b
: lack of willingness or eagerness to do something : reluctance
She took that drastic step only with the greatest hesitancy. This hesitancy to hire is one of the reasons companies are so unfazed by the possibility of the economy slowing.— Rob Norton I was naturally a little hesitant about asking exactly how much he did earn—but there was no hesitancy on his part as he flourished his pay slip.— Richard Carver
— see also vaccine hesitancy
2
plural hesitancies
: an act or instance of being hesitant : hesitation sense 1
… he speaks in a cheerful, self-deprecating fashion that seems to preclude silences or hesitancies on either side of a conversation.— Roger Angell
3
medical
: urinary hesitancy
… his chief complaint was hesitancy and intermittency of urination.— Ari J. Isaacson
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for hesitancy
The first known use of hesitancy was in 1617
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