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
Where Trump is unrelenting and single-minded, the justices have been inconsistent and unpredictable, and therefore appear irresolute.
—
Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2025
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
Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irresolute
Adjective
-
As the story goes, attendance was weak, the weather was bad, and the tournament experience was just lacking.—
James Burky,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
-
As many as 40 states combine one-party control with institutional barriers weak enough to fall to political pressure.—
Bruce Sibley,
Time,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The fate of the House bill is uncertain in the Senate.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
5 June 2026
-
And yet, the complex plot comes down to the bond between Albus and Scorpius, who are living in their fathers’ shadows, bullied and uncertain of themselves, as their connections with their dads falter.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
That means discussing communicable diseases — like many populations, the Amish, many of whom do vaccinate, have been increasingly hesitant since the Covid-19 pandemic — as well as genetic and other conditions.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
3 June 2026
-
Even with the changes, some council members were hesitant to support the plan.—
Kendrick Calfee
June 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Helena Newman, auctioneer and chairman of Impressionist and modern art, elegant in a green Victoria Beckham dress, leaned firmly on specialists with indecisive phone bidders.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
20 May 2026
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Frustration with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, which many Democrats share, reflects a sense that the Party is factious and indecisive—even as its electoral prospects are finally improving.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
He was encouraged by his timing and sensed Miller might be wavering, especially after an errant pickoff throw put the go-ahead run 90 feet away.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
20 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Earlier this month, Nancy Guthrie, the elderly and infirm mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was violently taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The four Democratic members of the JBC, which controls the state budget, asked with growing consternation why the Department of Corrections hadn’t brought them a plan to address overcrowding, to step up releases of old and infirm inmates, or to improve its own shortcomings.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
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 7 Jun. 2026.
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