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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Nantz’s hesitancy was somewhat understandable since the referees were confused, as well.
—
Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
There are plenty of directions the franchise could go, but a hesitancy to commit to anything more than one-off stories.
—Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Their efforts were met with hesitancy from some families — installing sensors required Ayala to enter homes for installation, and some families had privacy concerns around providing data to the sensors.
—Alonso Daboub, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
Mel Walker, the data and AI practice leader for accounting firm CohnReznick, says that the federal government has moved too slowly to establish guidelines for AI, but that the hesitancy is likely in part the result of how quickly the technology is developing.
—John Kell, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
There are plenty of directions the franchise could go, but a hesitancy to commit to anything more than one-off stories.
—Richard Newby, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
Their efforts were met with hesitancy from some families — installing sensors required Ayala to enter homes for installation, and some families had privacy concerns around providing data to the sensors.
—Alonso Daboub, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
Mel Walker, the data and AI practice leader for accounting firm CohnReznick, says that the federal government has moved too slowly to establish guidelines for AI, but that the hesitancy is likely in part the result of how quickly the technology is developing.
—John Kell, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitancy
Noun
-
Regardless of the reason, the reluctance to approve of hunting for food but not trapping for fur sure seems arbitrary to me.—
Skye Goode,
Outdoor Life,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The film’s reluctance to reckon more fully with Bell’s role effectively shifts attention away from state power and toward interpersonal grievance.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
One mistake or moment of hesitation could mean death.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
-
This feature helps eliminate jerky movements and hesitation.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But the unwillingness to even take them, the same hesitance that Nance and most others believed was in the past, is hurting his overall game.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
After a little practice breathing through the tube and getting past her initial hesitance, Jenner puts her face into the water, and comes back up immediately, her hair stuck to her skin.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The White House didn't immediately respond to a query seeking clarity about the scope and timing of any limited pause.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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As the officers back away from Pretti, there’s a pause in shooting that lasts just under a second, according to an analysis of the shooting audio by Robert Maher, an audio forensic expert at Montana State University.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitancy. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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