hesitancy

noun

hes·​i·​tan·​cy ˈhe-zə-tən(t)-sē 

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

Synonyms

• disinclination
• hesitance
• reluctance
• reticence
• unwillingness

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

Psychologists say cultural attitudes and pressures regarding masculinity can play a role in men's hesitancy to reveal a prostate cancer diagnosis. —USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024

However, her hesitancy to answer this question directly leads to greater speculation. —Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discloses illness that has kept him hospitalized What Lloyd Austin's reluctance says about masculinity Psychologists say cultural attitudes and pressures regarding masculinity could have played a role in Austin's hesitancy to reveal his diagnosis. —USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024

The trend worsened after the coronavirus pandemic because of a lack of access and hesitancy among some groups. —Megan Specia, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024

Validating vaccine hesitancy has been a staple of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration, and that hesitancy has trickled down to routine immunizations for schools, experts said. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hesitancy

• urinary hesitancy
• vaccine hesitancy

Kids Definition

hesitancy

noun

hes·​i·​tan·​cy ˈhez-ə-tən-sē 

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 

: 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 hesitancy …

—Ray Addison, Nursing Times