hesitancy

noun

hes·​i·​tan·​cy ˈhe-zə-tən(t)-sē How to pronounce hesitancy (audio)
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

Examples of hesitancy in a Sentence

his appointment to the superintendency was confirmed by the school board without the least hesitancy his hesitancy in pulling over into the next lane while he had a chance resulted in him missing his exit
Recent Examples on the Web After two armed men dressed in black enter, Gardner eggs them on despite their hesitancy to engage with her. William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024 Similarly concerning for Trump, sizable numbers of GOP voters in a string of states signaled their hesitancy to vote for him in the general election. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Although the Indian media and entertainment market is seen as dynamic and growing, investment in the content market has already been slowed by hesitancy around the corporate activities, by the global corporations’ woes and by re-evaluations of content priorities in India. Patrick Frater, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024 Discrimination in healthcare can result in misdiagnoses, like often being diagnosed with schizophrenia as opposed to mood disorders, and distrust in providers, further contributing to hesitancy to pursue help. Jazmin Towe, Parents, 23 Feb. 2024 The three women were also members at the time and blamed the church for their hesitancy in reporting their experience to the police, AP adds. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 20 Feb. 2024 Part of the reason for the Fed's hesitancy is due to continuing strong economic growth. Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 Even with the heads up from Gerry, Theresa felt some hesitancy heading into the finale. Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2023 Here on the tiny working waterfront of Tybee Island, Georgia, the hesitancy is logical. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hesitancy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hesitancy was in 1617

Dictionary Entries Near hesitancy

Cite this Entry

“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hesitancy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hesitancy

noun
hes·​i·​tan·​cy ˈhez-ə-tən-sē How to pronounce hesitancy (audio)
plural hesitancies
1
: a tendency to hesitate
2
: an act or instance of hesitating

Medical Definition

hesitancy

noun
hes·​i·​tan·​cy ˈhez-ə-tən(t)-sē How to pronounce hesitancy (audio)
: the quality or state of being hesitant: such as
a
: lack of willingness or eagerness to do something
hesitancy to report symptoms
see also vaccine hesitancy
b
: urinary hesitancy
One patient had symptoms of urinary incontinence, frequency, nocturia and hesitancyRay Addison, Nursing Times

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