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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hesitation
Any fruit with visible larvae, broken skin, or soft, mushy spots should be discarded without hesitation.
—
Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 13 May 2026
Substance grows through motion today, not hesitation.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
The emotional fog begins to lift while feelings of hesitation fade away.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
No briefings, no hesitation; just pure pixelated patriotism.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hesitation
Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 13 May 2026
Substance grows through motion today, not hesitation.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
The emotional fog begins to lift while feelings of hesitation fade away.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
No briefings, no hesitation; just pure pixelated patriotism.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hesitation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitation
Noun
-
Now on the Democratic side, at least when this began, there was hesitancy from Democrats, even about Newsom’s idea of fighting fire with fire.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
-
Cutting that research doesn’t make hesitancy disappear.—
A.J. Russo,
Baltimore Sun,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
After a pause for the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, social hesitance was still evident and masks were incorporated into some of the night's designs.—
Luis Giraldo,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
-
Sensing hesitance as well as incompetence, coaches and players alike tried to sway the flailing fill-ins at every turn.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There was a pause in the action in the fourth inning when plate umpire Brian O’Nora exited with concussion-like symptoms after getting hit by a foul ball.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
-
Let’s pause here for a moment for an important bit of context.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
By Friday afternoon, nearly 600 delays were reported at LGA, according to the tracking site FlightAware.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
22 May 2026
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The launch came more than seven months since the last Starship flight, and the delay in the Version 3 debut had among other things stressed NASA’s timeline for its Artemis program.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitation. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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