as in weak
formal
not certain about what to do; not resolute
He has been criticized as an irresolute leader.
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Recent Examples of irresolute
Downtown, in his studio at the corner of White and Cortlandt Alley, on a Thursday evening in late July, Wyeth sat on his stool and considered the irresolute underpainting on his canvas.
—
Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
The situation is impossible, irresolute— the B.J. Vineses and priests of the world shouldn’t get to walk away scot free.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2025
The prevailing sense among investors and market handicappers entering the month was to expect choppy, irresolute action full of potential scares.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2024
Showing signs of being irresolute can signal weakness that adversaries take note of.
—Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 5 Jan. 2024
In some states, the confusion felt by providers and patients is compounded by ambiguous, irresolute language in the new and forthcoming laws themselves.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 2 July 2022
Vernon’s sea power duly secured the Panamanian export hub of Porto Bello (which would give its name to London’s Portobello Road), but the irresolute Wentworth was ignominiously defeated in his halfhearted attempts to capture Cartagena (in modern-day Colombia) and Santiago, Cuba.
—Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2021
Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
The situation is impossible, irresolute— the B.J. Vineses and priests of the world shouldn’t get to walk away scot free.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2025
The prevailing sense among investors and market handicappers entering the month was to expect choppy, irresolute action full of potential scares.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2024
Showing signs of being irresolute can signal weakness that adversaries take note of.
—Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 5 Jan. 2024
In some states, the confusion felt by providers and patients is compounded by ambiguous, irresolute language in the new and forthcoming laws themselves.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 2 July 2022
Vernon’s sea power duly secured the Panamanian export hub of Porto Bello (which would give its name to London’s Portobello Road), but the irresolute Wentworth was ignominiously defeated in his halfhearted attempts to capture Cartagena (in modern-day Colombia) and Santiago, Cuba.
—Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irresolute
Adjective
-
Relief on that levy—which stacks on top of Liberation Day tariffs—could be a boon for the Asian nation at a time when domestic demand is weak.—
Bloomberg,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There, interactions between streams of liquid iron generate a magnetic field one quintillion times more powerful than that of an ordinary lab magnet (but thousands of times weaker than the Sun’s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Akheem Mesidor’s status uncertain Those wanting to know more about Hurricanes edge rusher Akheem Mesidor’s status for Saturday’s game against Stanford will have to wait a little bit longer.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Major deals now feature 20-30 year funding horizons—extraordinary bets on technologies whose commercial viability five years from now remains uncertain.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Historically, workers have been hesitant about sharing their salaries with other employees, but a shift toward the practice has sparked greater accountability at companies.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The brand does not advertise itself as being additive-free tequila in its marketing materials, something that admittedly more brands are hesitant to do because the CRT, Mexico’s tequila governing authority, has cracked down upon the practice.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
There have been several times that Dart has been indecisive in the pocket, which also was a trend during training camp.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Netanyahu once shunned long wars and ground operations, aware of the cost and political capital that resulted in indecisive conclusions or stalemates.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Stocco said in a wavering voice.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Rather than conciliate a wavering citizenry, two years of occupation had instead inspired tens of thousands of other colonists to join the resistance to British rule.—
Time,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In June, because of Austen’s worsening condition and a bureaucratic glitch, plans were being set in motion to move her to Welfare Island, then a location of public institutions for the aged and infirm.—
Margaret Hetherman,
NBC news,
19 Oct. 2025
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The victim of the offense was a person with a disability and the defendant knew or should have known that the victim was a person with a disability or mentally or physically infirm.—
IndyStar,
IndyStar,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Irresolute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irresolute. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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