as in weak
formal
not certain about what to do; not resolute
He has been criticized as an irresolute leader.
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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
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
The Oslo musician’s debut album is a darkly glamorous blur of trip-hop and dance pop, with copious reverb and Auto-Tune as stand-ins for yearning, uneasiness, and irresolution.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irresolute
Adjective
-
The past four years of conflict have exposed more than one faulty assumption, not least the previously widespread belief even among Kyiv’s allies that Ukraine would be too weak, too disorganized, to resist a full-scale invasion.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Continue reading … PARTY RECKONING — Cortez Masto admits Democrats have been 'weak on immigration,' chides Biden.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In rap’s gladiator arena, there’s no grace for hesitation, and that hesitation defined Cole’s involvement in the clash of the century.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Among those emails are unsent drafts, abandoned because of distraction or hesitation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But like the British wartime leader who also led his country’s fight against a bigger, more powerful enemy, Zelensky has made missteps along the way and his future looks increasingly uncertain as the war grinds on.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Husband cleared, but path forward uncertain Judge Barry Wood of Idaho’s 5th Judicial District granted the defense’s alternative perpetrator theory for trial in a November 2025 order.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Jackson also participated in COVID-19 vaccination drives to battle hesitancy in Black communities.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
And every one of us has moments of hiding, fear, doubt, and hesitancy.—
Rabbi Bruce D. Forman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Central Banks Remain a Key Support One reason analysts are hesitant to call an end to the rally is ongoing demand from central banks.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Speeches land as heartfelt confessions as hesitant characters gently lay the groundwork until the moment of avowal becomes unavoidable.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Her only hesitance was how much the internet has changed culture in the past decade.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Company leaders have attributed slower demand to higher mortgage rates, economic uncertainty and consumers’ hesitance to spring for pricier projects.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Sometimes friends are indecisive or even anxious about planning.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Hopefully, with Wilson and Hopkinson in situ, Newcastle will not allow this situation to turn into another indecisive mess.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But invading the second biggest country in Europe, after Russia itself, would be a potentially catastrophic prospect which would, surely, give a cold strategist like Putin pause for thought.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Mother Nature is about to put the recent spring-like warmth across Central Texas on pause this weekend.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Irresolute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irresolute. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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