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
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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
Sam Lee, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Evidence mounted that long-running global efforts to block nuclear proliferation were faltering.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Letter writer kept cancer diagnosis private to avoid people’s reactions, but that plan is faltering as illness progresses.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2026
As of Thursday, other digital assets like ether and solana were also down 24% and 26% for the week to date, respectively — a sign investors’ confidence in the entire crypto market is faltering.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2026
The fact that the NCAA couldn’t hold him out has inspired other faltering pros to reverse course.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Their faltering attempt at a total crackdown—which can’t muzzle the anger and bravery of ordinary people—and its general odor of malicious incompetence, is even seeping into the White House’s hermetic media echo chamber.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Against Gauff, Svitolina displayed relentless aggression, attacking the American’s faltering forehand.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The company’s aging lineup and slow-selling Cybertruck faces growing competition from fresher EVs offered by mainstream carmakers, while the loss of federal tax credits for EV purchasers in the US has put more pressure on demand that already was faltering.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
Phil Hay, New York Times, 24 Feb. 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
Darnold has also found some big-game redemption after faltering for the Minnesota Vikings late in the season last year.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Jan. 2026
And his retribution campaign—faltering to this point, to be sure—targeted the chairman of the Federal Reserve, who is now the subject of a Justice Department investigation.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 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
Now, due to Arsenal’s faltering form and the growing evidence that City are starting to click, the assumption is that things will play out exactly like the old days.
—Sam Lee, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Evidence mounted that long-running global efforts to block nuclear proliferation were faltering.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Letter writer kept cancer diagnosis private to avoid people’s reactions, but that plan is faltering as illness progresses.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2026
As of Thursday, other digital assets like ether and solana were also down 24% and 26% for the week to date, respectively — a sign investors’ confidence in the entire crypto market is faltering.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2026
The fact that the NCAA couldn’t hold him out has inspired other faltering pros to reverse course.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Their faltering attempt at a total crackdown—which can’t muzzle the anger and bravery of ordinary people—and its general odor of malicious incompetence, is even seeping into the White House’s hermetic media echo chamber.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Against Gauff, Svitolina displayed relentless aggression, attacking the American’s faltering forehand.
—Merlisa Lawrence Corbett, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
The company’s aging lineup and slow-selling Cybertruck faces growing competition from fresher EVs offered by mainstream carmakers, while the loss of federal tax credits for EV purchasers in the US has put more pressure on demand that already was faltering.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
Milan’s faltering title hopes in Serie A won’t be helped by a horrible injury to Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 24 Feb. 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
Darnold has also found some big-game redemption after faltering for the Minnesota Vikings late in the season last year.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Jan. 2026
And his retribution campaign—faltering to this point, to be sure—targeted the chairman of the Federal Reserve, who is now the subject of a Justice Department investigation.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faltering
Noun
-
That might give some teams some hesitation.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The same force that’s fueled the tech sector’s explosive gains over the past two years is now driving investor hesitation.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
You might be tempted to keep the pan in the oven longer when the center still appears a little wet and wobbly.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The showing marked a sharp contrast from the 2025 Gala, which had featured less advanced versions of the robots twirling handkerchiefs in a wobbly folk dance.—
Dylan Butts,Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Igor Jesus fluffed his lines when Omari Hutchinson sent him through on goal, hesitating too long and allowing Virgil van Dijk to snatch the ball.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
However, if large enterprises are hesitating to commit and implement, that’s a broader industry headwind impacting everyone, not just SAP.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There's been a pause on issuing them ever since.—
Jeff Wagner,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The Wild entered the NHL’s three-week Olympic break on a heater, going 8-1-1 in their final 10 games before the pause.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When that might happen is highly uncertain, and completely up to Guthrie, given this month’s agonizing and all-consuming search for her mother Nancy.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The uncertain availability and high prices have been complicating plans for out-of-town fans hoping to travel to North American cities for matches.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One of the frontrunners is wobbling.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
They are carefully balanced so that the rotor spins smoothly without wobbling.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Jackson also participated in COVID-19 vaccination drives to battle hesitancy in Black communities.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
And every one of us has moments of hiding, fear, doubt, and hesitancy.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The facility’s staff was unsure of the final cooking temperature of chicken, or reheating temperature of foods for hot holding.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado,
Sacbee.com,
27 Feb. 2026
-
This feels like a movie made by artists afraid of their employers as much as their consumers and unsure which group might turn on them first.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Faltering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faltering. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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