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
-
The timeline for when China’s two sixth-generation fighters began secret testing prior to their sightings last year remains uncertain.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Guerrero’s status with the Blue Jays was uncertain going into the 2025 season.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
But so far, the bottom rung of the corporate ladder is being most affected; employers are using AI to automate simpler, lower-level tasks, managers are hesitant to hire Gen Z professionals, and internships are dwindling.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
-
His aggressive and unpredictable tariffs have only exacerbated that, as businesses have become hesitant to hire more workers due to uncertainty.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
30 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
-
The returners looked indecisive on who should return it.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
5 Oct. 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
-
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 3 Nov. 2025.
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