as in ambivalent
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Dissimilar Words
as in faltering
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
I didn't hesitate to tell them that what they were doing was wrong and that I wanted no part of it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hesitating
Npr Staff, NPR, 17 Apr. 2026
The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
Palmer is the center of the film and building the cast around her initially had Riley hesitating.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
The Names by Florence Knapp After a devastating storm, Cora brings her newborn son to be registered, hesitating when pressured to name him after her controlling husband.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2026
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
The appeals court, however, said staying the injunction serves the public interest by preventing federal agents from hesitating while carrying out lawful duties.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Although police still can use less-lethal weapons to contain unruly demonstrators, the city claimed the rules put officers at risk of hesitating in chaotic situations.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Verb
Trump has criticized European countries for rejecting or hesitating to get involved in the war with Iran.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 17 Apr. 2026
The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Mar. 2026
Palmer is the center of the film and building the cast around her initially had Riley hesitating.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026
The Names by Florence Knapp After a devastating storm, Cora brings her newborn son to be registered, hesitating when pressured to name him after her controlling husband.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2026
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
The appeals court, however, said staying the injunction serves the public interest by preventing federal agents from hesitating while carrying out lawful duties.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026
Although police still can use less-lethal weapons to contain unruly demonstrators, the city claimed the rules put officers at risk of hesitating in chaotic situations.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitating
Adjective
-
Brigid, a Catholic, is ambivalent about plural marriage.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Ironically, Chavez himself appeared ambivalent about such public tributes.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The figures reinforce the extent to which consumer demand is faltering only two years after Tesla began delivering the electric pickup.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
After faltering in the crucial moments of its first postseason telecast, the stakes have now been raised for upcoming presentations.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Caitlin Clark had a shaky return to WNBA action on Saturday after her season-ending injury last year.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Two weeks into the shaky, uncertain ceasefire, a form of normality has returned to the streets of Tehran.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His yearning for Ruben’s approval and fear of his own desires are so acute that, when the show flashes forward to Niall’s wedding again, one half expects to see a woman waiting at the altar.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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Manchester City are top of the league again, for the first time since the opening weekend of the season, and after months of talk about Arsenal being champions in waiting.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This is the Alcaraz who is unbeatable, a man who cut out the vacillating streaks in his game that derailed him in Melbourne and Wimbledon.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
One night, Altman took an Ambien, only to be awakened by his husband, an Australian coder named Oliver Mulherin, who told him that Sutskever was wavering, and that people were telling Altman to speak with the board.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Music is the focal point of each service, with Jeffrey playing guitar and keyboards behind the curtain, singing in a wavering voice reminiscent of Jeff Mangum about the subjects, ideas and feelings that have occupied his mind at various stages of his life.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Fans who registered for the first drop of tickets but did not receive a time slot and fans who did not buy their maximum 12 general ticket allotment will automatically be entered into the random lottery Drop 2.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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Pearce must continue treatment, submit to random drug tests and follow the NFL’s testing protocol.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Long aimless drives opened up my small teenage world.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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Trump’s goal is to distract you from rising gas prices, his aimless war, ICE abuses, and the Epstein files.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitating. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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