vacillation

noun

vac·​il·​la·​tion ˌva-sə-ˈlā-shən 

1

: an act or instance of vacillating

2

: inability to take a stand : irresolution, indecision

Synonyms of vacillation

• hesitation
• hesitancy
• hesitance
• pause

Examples of vacillation in a Sentence

the president was soundly criticized for his vacillation before responding to the crisis

Recent Examples on the Web

Over time, however, whatever succor Trump provides to the economy by saying that the war is nearly over is likely to be canceled out by his administration’s vacillation. —David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026

President Trump’s vacillation— seeming a lot like appeasement— encourages Putin’s intransigence. —U.s. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2026

Your corrupt presidency of graft, vengeance and ceaseless vacillation between loudly complaining and loudly boasting has become like a jackhammer outside our collective window every day since your inauguration. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026

Reading Cuba in War Time, we’re reminded that war reporting was never free of this struggle and vacillation. —Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vacillacion, borrowed from Latin vacillātiōn-, vacillātiō, from vacillāre "to be unsteady, vacillate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for vacillation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation