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
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
Wyatt gave Minnie some distance, which made sense after Kylie spoke about her eldest daughter’s hesitancy around characters at the theme park.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
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
Wyatt gave Minnie some distance, which made sense after Kylie spoke about her eldest daughter’s hesitancy around characters at the theme park.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitancy
Noun
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The supply issue partly reflects years of underbuilding after the 2008 financial crisis, as well as the reluctance of homeowners who locked in ultra-low mortgage rates during the ensuing recession to relinquish their properties.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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But Trump’s reluctance to rule out taking military action to annex the world's largest non-continental island has frustrated many members of the president's own party.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In his view, hesitation invites escalation.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Despite some analyst hesitation that the popular running brands may be losing some of their steam in the market, both labels posted stellar earnings in their most recent quarterly reports.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Citing Chinese academic research, the report notes that financial and time pressures, especially the cost and burden of child care, are major factors contributing to families’ hesitance.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Dec. 2025
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The judge continued to echo his hesitance following the reveal and shared an Instagram Stories post posing the question for fans.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The county commissioners will hold a public hearing on the plan for Comanche Circle, and separately consider putting a temporary pause on these types of big developments.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
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Hawke gives me a Harrison Ford-length pause — not out of nervousness, but genuine thought.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitancy. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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