vaccine hesitant
adjective
variants
or vaccine-hesitant
vak-ˈsēn-ˈhe-zə-tənt 
ˈvak-ˌsēn-
: characterized by reluctance or refusal to have oneself or one's children vaccinated
vaccine hesitant adults
Among the 18% of Iowans who identify as vaccine-hesitant, about half cited uncertainty about vaccine side effects as the source of their reluctance …—
Bennett Goldstein
Bennett GoldsteinExamples of vaccine hesitant in a Sentence
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Why are some parents vaccine hesitant? Higgins: There are multiple reasons.
—David Higgins, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
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David Higgins, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vaccine hesitant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine%20hesitant. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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