as in hesitatingly
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Recent Examples of hesitantly
The show has dipped its toe hesitantly into matters of equity and social stratification this season with mixed results.
—
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
As Garfield hesitantly moves forward with his campaign, he is forced to align with Chester Arthur (Nick Offerman), who unexpectedly becomes his running mate, and with the domineering but highly influential Senator Roscoe Conkling (Shea Whigham).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
His crossing has often been a source of frustration, sometimes ballooning the ball too often, taking too long to put it into the area or cutting back on himself hesitantly.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
The clip shows the massive American bully hesitantly backing away from a tiny, energetic puppy.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Adam asks Conrad to take care of his brother, and Conrad hesitantly agrees.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
As Garfield hesitantly moves forward with his campaign, he is forced to align with Chester Arthur (Nick Offerman), who unexpectedly becomes his running mate, and with the domineering but highly influential Senator Roscoe Conkling (Shea Whigham).
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
His crossing has often been a source of frustration, sometimes ballooning the ball too often, taking too long to put it into the area or cutting back on himself hesitantly.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
The clip shows the massive American bully hesitantly backing away from a tiny, energetic puppy.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025
Adam asks Conrad to take care of his brother, and Conrad hesitantly agrees.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitantly
Adverb
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Lines of hundreds of guests snaked around the inside of the department store (which takes up an entire city block in Manhattan), with onlookers snapping photos quizzically.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Daedone looked at me quizzically.—
Thessaly La Force,
New Yorker,
29 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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Kizzi adds to his act by pretending to be a devoted fan while V looks on incredulously.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Jan. 2026
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Bea incredulously finds out that Christy has been involved in a treasure hunt for years now, believing that there is a million dollars hidden somewhere in the state, planning and plotting her methods of finding it, and Christy is finally setting her plan in motion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Espinoza responded, holding up his hands questioningly.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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The prior year also saw one law enforcement case stall following a hung jury and another end in an unusual dismissal agreement that even Garza’s supporters viewed skeptically.—
Austin American Statesman,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
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For the skeptically inclined, that reasoning might argue for doubting the existence of other minds, rather than for believing in God.—
Dan Turello,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitantly. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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