as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
when it's so clear that this is the right thing to do, there's no excuse for faltering
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wobbly
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in hesitating
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
William Lloyd Garrison never once faltered in his demand that slavery be unconditionally abolished
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trembling
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the cut tree seemed to falter for a moment before crashing to the ground
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of faltering
Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The Reds' season can be described as consistently inconsistent but playing well down the stretch and the New York Mets faltering has led to an opportunity to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
—Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2025
And the media went along with her coverup, despite Biden’s obvious faltering.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2026
Draghi’s report highlights several reasons why Europe’s competitiveness is faltering.
—Francesca Cassidy, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
That deal can't come soon enough for the president, as there are worrisome signs about the overall economy faltering due to the war, and even some Republicans are questioning his mission in the Middle East.
—CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
One of the best trades of the past year is faltering.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Plus, home shoppers are more cautious given a faltering job market and growing economic uncertainty, meaning fewer homes are being snapped up quickly, Fairweather said.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Mueller did not see it as his job to speak out—not then, nor in his notoriously faltering testimony to Congress months later.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Afeela is entering the market at a time when federal support for EVs is low and public enthusiasm is faltering.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
That change eventually happened in the technical area, with Igor Tudor replacing Frank, but the coach with a reputation for breathing new life into faltering clubs on the continent is having no such impact in north London.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Dubai, in particular, finds its position as the crown jewel of Middle East’s tourism faltering as its airports have been forced to shut temporarily during the conflict.
—Sydney Goh, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
Tatum’s injury was supposed to be a big reason the conference was so wide-open, along with the Indiana Pacers faltering because of Tyrese Haliburton’s own Achilles injury.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, you’re braced to make any necessary adjustments without faltering.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2026
Unless regulators crack down on these deepfakes, the videos threaten to steer even more patients toward wasteful, potentially dangerous purchases — while further undermining the public’s already faltering trust in medical institutions.
—John Whyte, STAT, 17 Feb. 2026
The program also pledges to fulfill conditions for adopting the euro currency by 2030, and to invest in Hungary's faltering state health care and public transportation sectors.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2026
Another cousin, the son of my industrialist uncle, has given up regattas and the hedonist’s life for a position in his father’s company that is, like all companies in Turkey, faltering under the tremendous burden of an economy in tailspin.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Tesla reported its first-ever decline in annual revenue, with sales faltering across three of the past four quarters.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
Many in town say the struggle to transform Scotia mirrors a larger struggle in Humboldt County, which has been rocked, first by the faltering of its logging industry and more recently by the collapse of its cannabis economy.
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The Reds' season can be described as consistently inconsistent but playing well down the stretch and the New York Mets faltering has led to an opportunity to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
—Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2025
And the media went along with her coverup, despite Biden’s obvious faltering.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The faltering fiction offered here certainly doesn’t justify 10 episodes, the runtimes of which range from about 35 minutes to nearly an hour.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 7 Apr. 2026
Draghi’s report highlights several reasons why Europe’s competitiveness is faltering.
—Francesca Cassidy, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
That deal can't come soon enough for the president, as there are worrisome signs about the overall economy faltering due to the war, and even some Republicans are questioning his mission in the Middle East.
—CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
One of the best trades of the past year is faltering.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Plus, home shoppers are more cautious given a faltering job market and growing economic uncertainty, meaning fewer homes are being snapped up quickly, Fairweather said.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Mueller did not see it as his job to speak out—not then, nor in his notoriously faltering testimony to Congress months later.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Afeela is entering the market at a time when federal support for EVs is low and public enthusiasm is faltering.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
That change eventually happened in the technical area, with Igor Tudor replacing Frank, but the coach with a reputation for breathing new life into faltering clubs on the continent is having no such impact in north London.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
After faltering in the crucial moments of its first postseason telecast, the stakes have now been raised for upcoming presentations.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Dubai, in particular, finds its position as the crown jewel of Middle East’s tourism faltering as its airports have been forced to shut temporarily during the conflict.
—Sydney Goh, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
Tatum’s injury was supposed to be a big reason the conference was so wide-open, along with the Indiana Pacers faltering because of Tyrese Haliburton’s own Achilles injury.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, you’re braced to make any necessary adjustments without faltering.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 23 Feb. 2026
Unless regulators crack down on these deepfakes, the videos threaten to steer even more patients toward wasteful, potentially dangerous purchases — while further undermining the public’s already faltering trust in medical institutions.
—John Whyte, STAT, 17 Feb. 2026
The program also pledges to fulfill conditions for adopting the euro currency by 2030, and to invest in Hungary's faltering state health care and public transportation sectors.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2026
Another cousin, the son of my industrialist uncle, has given up regattas and the hedonist’s life for a position in his father’s company that is, like all companies in Turkey, faltering under the tremendous burden of an economy in tailspin.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Tesla reported its first-ever decline in annual revenue, with sales faltering across three of the past four quarters.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faltering
Noun
-
That recalibration comes at a moment when fairs worldwide are grappling with rising costs, uneven sales, and collector hesitation.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
-
That hesitation is where dreams die.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Red lines and deadlines imposed by the United States, even when backed by the threat of genocide, can turn out to be rather wobbly.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Despite the outsized headline figure, there were further indications that the job market remains wobbly.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Palmer is the center of the film and building the cast around her initially had Riley hesitating.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday Ukraine is ready to mirror any ceasefire steps, having earlier proposed to Russia a pause in attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter holiday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Leon, in issuing the temporary pause, concluded that the preservationist group behind the legal challenge was likely to succeed because the president lacks the authority to build the ballroom without approval from Congress.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a recurring visual throughout the season of ants marching forward, their destination uncertain but their movements rote, that is a little too tidy in its metaphor.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
-
If the bill is approved in the House, the measure would next go to the Senate, where the outcome is uncertain.—
Lisa Mascaro,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The black holes spin slowly, their spins are aligned with their orbital motion, and there is very little wobbling.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Apr. 2026
-
This is a man who shows up at a bank with two dubious associates — the glowering, hair-trigger Sal (Moss-Bachrach) and, until his stomach gives out, the wobbling hot mess Ray-Ray (Christopher Sears) — and a bunch of guns.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Despite Pickford’s relative hesitancy to engage aerially, Everton have been one of the most effective teams in the league at defending corners, conceding just five goals, the joint third fewest in the Premier League.—
Matt Pyzdrowski,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
This hesitancy is showing up in the market.—
Becca Stanek,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Mamdani's approval rating A Marist Poll published Wednesday revealed 48% of NYC residents think Mayor Mamdani is doing a good job so far, 30% disapprove of his performance, while 23% are unsure how to rate him.—
Christina Fan,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In Mexico the loss of territory discredited the country’s conservative government and left many of its citizens unsure of their country’s future as an independent state.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Faltering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faltering. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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