Synonyms of hesitation

hesitation

noun

ˌhe-zə-ˈtā-shən 

as in hesitancy

a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action

one moment's hesitation on my part, and the elusive butterfly was lost to me forever

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hesitancy
• hesitance
• pause
• delay
• indecision
• vacillation
• uncertainty
• irresolution
• deliberation
• wavering
• faltering
• doubt
• wobbling
• waiting
• reluctance
• fence-sitting
• shilly-shallying
• shilly-shally
• consideration
• procrastination
• debate
• indecisiveness
• second thought
• hawing
• misgiving
• incertitude
• avoidance
• indetermination
• unwillingness
• timidity
• equivocation
• arrière-pensée
• indisposition
• faintheartedness
• disinclination
• shyness
• uncertainness
• timidness
• aversion

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confidence
• determination
• resolution
• certainty
• firmness
• certitude
• readiness
• eagerness
• decisiveness
• sureness
• alacrity
• resoluteness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hesitation

Direct, straightforward and surely pre-planned, Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham showed no hesitation in speaking playoff aspirations into the air within the team’s facility in Flowery Branch. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Likewise, when a veteran employee expresses hesitation about a new operational structure, do not label them as resistant to change. — Kent Ingle, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026

For many people, the hesitation around getting hearing aids is attached to cost and how to manage the upfront amount. — Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026

Every exclamation, every hesitation, every slip of the tongue (including the film’s title, reportedly uttered by the real Chaplin twins once) comes simultaneously from both women. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026