indecisive

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adjective in·de·ci·sive \ ˌin-di-ˈsī-siv \

Definition of indecisive

1 :not decisive :inconclusive

an indecisive battle

2 :marked by or prone to indecision :irresolute

an indecisive state of mind

3 :not clearly marked out :indefinite

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indecisively

adverb

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indecisiveness

noun

See indecisive defined for English-language learners

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Examples of indecisive in a Sentence

She's always been very indecisive.

Recent Examples of indecisive from the Web

There is a time to hide cards up a coaching sleeve or be just indecisive enough to cause some healthy consternation and competitive friction.

— jeff jacobs, courant.com, "Edsall Sends Decisive Message, Putting Offense In Pindell's Hands," 14 Aug. 2017
A friend of theirs gave birth earlier this month and was being indecisive about choosing a name.

— jen gann, The Cut, "How to Tell If Your Baby Is Ugly," 21 July 2017
With such a volatile and indecisive U.S. president, the initial impulse is caution.

— thomas wright, The Atlantic, "The G20 Is Obsolete," 11 July 2017
The LDP sought to portray her as indecisive for delaying the relocation of the iconic Tsukiji fish market over pollution concerns and insisting on reviewing the ballooning cost of the 2020 Olympics.

— isabel reynolds, Bloomberg.com, "Tarnished Abe Plunged Into Crisis After Tokyo Election Loss," 2 July 2017
Florida State’s Dwayne Bacon looked anything but jittery or indecisive in his first summer league game, a 74-67 victory against the Miami Heat at the Orlando Magic’s practice gym.

— rick bonnell, charlotteobserver, "Where were the rookie jitters? Hornets’ Dwayne Bacon promising in debut," 1 July 2017
My biggest pet peeves are: negative people, people who only talk about themselves and anyone who is constantly indecisive.

— david perloff, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "Blind Date: Fly boys take to the air," 28 June 2017
News described Obama as indecisive in acting on Russian interference in the election.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Trump critic: Did we elect Manchurian Candidate?," 24 June 2017
Ordinarily a report of this nature would thrill Trump loyalists, who relish opportunities to cast Obama as having been weak and indecisive, especially on foreign policy matters.

— callum borchers, Washington Post, "Trump sent a very smart tweet before The Post’s latest Russia scoop," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'indecisive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of indecisive

1726

INDECISIVE Defined for English Language Learners

indecisive

play

adjective

Definition of indecisive for English Language Learners

: not able to make choices quickly and confidently
: not settling something or making something final or certain

INDECISIVE Defined for Kids

indecisive

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adjective in·de·ci·sive \ ˌin-di-ˈsī-siv \

Definition of indecisive for Students

1 :not decisive or final

an indecisive battle

2 :finding it hard to make decisions

an indecisive person

—

indecisively

adverb

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Spanish Central: Translation of indecisive Nglish: Translation of indecisive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of indecisive for Arabic speakers

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