vaccine hesitancy

noun

plural vaccine hesitancies

: the reluctance or refusal to have oneself or one's children vaccinated

Vaccine hesitancy can contribute to the continued spread of disease because vaccinations are not being administered.

—Fred Steiner

Scientists are expressing concern over what they call "vaccine hesitancy" regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

—Katie Camero

WHO [World Health Organization] notes that measles cases have increased by 30 percent across the globe, and while not all cases are due to vaccine hesitancies, some countries that had nearly eliminated the disease have seen its return.

—Katie Gillespie

Examples of vaccine hesitancy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In step with the nationwide surge of vaccine hesitancy, a growing share of parents in North Carolina are sending their kids to school with religious exemptions. —Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 15 Jan. 2026

Removing these requirements will suggest that vaccines are optional or less necessary, potentially eroding public trust in vaccination and increasing vaccine hesitancy. —A.j. Russo, Baltimore Sun, 12 Jan. 2026

But not all are for staunchly anti-vaccine reasons or even because of vaccine hesitancy, Thorpe said. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026

However, this statement has historically been disseminated by the CDC and other federal health agencies within HHS {Health and Human Services) to prevent vaccine hesitancy. —Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2002, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

vaccine hesitancy

noun

: the reluctance or refusal to have oneself or one's children vaccinated

Scientists are expressing concern over what they call "vaccine hesitancy" regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

—Katie Camero, The Miami Herald

Reasons for vaccine hesitancy fit into 3 categories: lack of confidence (in effectiveness, safety, the system, or policy makers), complacency (perceived low risk of acquiring VPDs [vaccine preventable diseases]), and lack of convenience …

—Shixin Shen and Vinita Dubey, Canadian Family Physician

WHO [World Health Organization] notes that measles cases have increased by 30 percent across the globe, and while not all cases are due to vaccine hesitancies, some countries that had nearly eliminated the disease have seen its return.

—Katie Gillespie, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington)