1
as in reluctance
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
his appointment to the superintendency was confirmed by the school board without the least hesitancy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
his hesitancy in pulling over into the next lane while he had a chance resulted in him missing his exit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hesitancy
My main hesitancy is the baby registry.
—
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Inundated with protests and newfound hesitancy following the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania, the company ceased construction a year later.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 21 Aug. 2025
The hesitancy repeatedly expressed by Harden, who was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, during two public hearings Tuesday signals further growing tension within the school board over how to address the district’s deepening fiscal crisis.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
These bigger home-improvement projects are usually financed through loans, while smaller projects can be completed with cash payments, which plays into consumers’ hesitancy, said Home Depot chief financial officer Richard McPhail.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025
Inundated with protests and newfound hesitancy following the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania, the company ceased construction a year later.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 21 Aug. 2025
The hesitancy repeatedly expressed by Harden, who was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, during two public hearings Tuesday signals further growing tension within the school board over how to address the district’s deepening fiscal crisis.
—Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025
These bigger home-improvement projects are usually financed through loans, while smaller projects can be completed with cash payments, which plays into consumers’ hesitancy, said Home Depot chief financial officer Richard McPhail.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitancy
Noun
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Added to this natural reluctance, competition between institutions has subverted collaboration to increase net welfare.—
David G.W. Birch,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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This decision reflects a broader reluctance to empower oversight even in the face of rising public demand for transparency and accountability.—
Hansel Alejandro Aguilar,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That hesitation quickly fled when the mask began to dry and tighten on the skin.—
Abby Dupes,
StyleCaster,
5 Sep. 2025
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So is the hesitation, the concern for consequence, and the mid-match questioning of how she is supposed to play.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Josh Brolin, who played big brother Brandon Walsh, expressed hesitance about a second movie.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Probably not, given the company’s strange hesitance to part ways with its current leadership.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This pause led to a more strategic decision that ultimately benefited the company.—
Naz Beheshti,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Job hopping has hit a pause as employees who might have left their companies previously are no longer able to find higher wages, according to a recent report from Bank of America.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitancy. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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