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 of hesitancy

• reluctance

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

The guilt Grainier feels, and his growing sorrow at his own hesitancy to step up and defend a helpless person, changes the trajectory of Grainier’s life and also fits neatly into the film’s larger argument about how, on a broad scale, all of us are irrelevant. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Nov. 2025

Fed officials — including Boston Fed President Susan Collins, who is a voter on policy moves this year — delivered remarks this week that have shown hesitancy to continue cutting rates. —John Towfighi, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025

For her part, Udemy’s Weingarten says the dueling narratives of persistent worker hesitancy about AI and AI skills despite increasing enterprise AI adoption fit into Thursday’s findings. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025

Some policymakers have expressed hesitancy to but based on data showing inflation remains well above the Fed’s 2% target, while others in favor of lowering rates fear further labor market deterioration. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025

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