as in weak
formal
not certain about what to do; not resolute
He has been criticized as an irresolute leader.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
after a moment of anguished irresolution, I raised my rifle and fired at the charging animal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of 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
Adjective
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irresolute
Adjective
-
New orders contracted for a fourth month and export bookings remained weak, based on the ISM data.—
Reade Pickert Bloomberg,
Arkansas Online,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Getting too little of either can lead to weak, brittle bones, and too much can also cause problems (like kidney stones or nausea).—
T'Keyah Bazin,
Verywell Health,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In his view, hesitation invites escalation.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Despite some analyst hesitation that the popular running brands may be losing some of their steam in the market, both labels posted stellar earnings in their most recent quarterly reports.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
At the moment, its age is still uncertain.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
-
How Barton will advance his campaigns now is uncertain.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Big money’s hesitancy Wall Street hasn’t jumped on board with the same fervor as the average Joe.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
25 Dec. 2025
-
Their efforts were met with hesitancy from some families — installing sensors required Ayala to enter homes for installation, and some families had privacy concerns around providing data to the sensors.—
Alonso Daboub,
Mercury News,
22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Major oil companies remain hesitant about Venezuela investments due to political instability, past expropriations and uncertainty over contract protections and guarantees.—
Josh Boak,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The Pitt gives us lots of reasons to be hesitant about trusting Al-Hashimi.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Citing Chinese academic research, the report notes that financial and time pressures, especially the cost and burden of child care, are major factors contributing to families’ hesitance.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Dec. 2025
-
The judge continued to echo his hesitance following the reveal and shared an Instagram Stories post posing the question for fans.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Feeling indecisive about New Year’s Eve this year, Scorpio?—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Dec. 2025
-
In Colorado the snow is feathers; dusty and indecisive.—
Alan Gionet,
CBS News,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Federal lawmakers are trying to avoid another closure that would lead to furloughs of thousands of federal workers and a pause in some government operations.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Disneyland will restart its 70th anniversary celebration with a new menu lineup designed to tempt foodies and keep them coming back for more after pressing pause on the yearlong party during the Halloween and Christmas seasons.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irresolute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irresolute. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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