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shilly-shallied

verb

past tense of shilly-shally
1
as in hesitated
to show uncertainty about the right course of action I didn't shilly-shally but instead raced to the hospital as soon as I heard the news

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delayed
to move or act slowly with dinner guests due in two hours, there was no time to shilly-shally in front of the TV set

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shilly-shallied
  1. hesitated
  2. delayed
  3. faltered
  4. lingered
  5. dragged
  6. crawled
  7. poked
Verb
  • Many people would have hesitated before taking them on as tenants, housemates, or clients.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Watching the spray of flames and the boiling smoke, the hack hesitated for a moment.
    — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of hesitated
Verb
  • Combined, the three had 14 space exploration missions that were proposed to be canceled or delayed, the report stated.
    — Eric Niiler, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Two companies in the AI ecosystem have delayed their IPOs, the latest sign that investor appetite for the trade is uneven at best.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of delayed
Verb
  • Progress toward that goal faltered in 2023 when the state learned that its proposal to tap federal funds for a study on the Idaho-Utah route had been incorrectly submitted.
    — Rose Evans September 15, Idaho Statesman, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Other elements of this team that were so strong last year also faltered, from pass protection to the tight ends to Davante Adams to the run defense and overall pass rush.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of faltered
Verb
  • Bethann Hardison, Tara Rudes Dann, and Lauren Kulchinsky Levison were amongst those who lingered over the work, taking in the intricate details.
    — Ruby Ford-Dunker, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Fast-food staples like McDonald’s became a low-cost refuge where seniors lingered over morning coffee, students gathered after school and young kids frolicked in play areas.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of lingered
Verb
  • The sophomore set him down outside the door of the boys varsity locker room, and a 15-year-old grabbed the victim’s ankles, dragged him inside and held him down, the boy told police.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026
  • My brother is lying on the floor, as if thrown down and dragged there.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • Suki, who had been with her new family only a few weeks, had crawled into an opening in an entertainment center cabinet and could not get out.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Every window of every building the bus crawled past opened a severe yearning in me, as though my life here had become abstract or theoretical.
    — Hisham Matar, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of crawled
Verb
  • Flip and continue to cook until the flesh begins to flake when poked with a fork, 1 to 2 minutes.
    — Kate Williams, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • He was poked in the eye and was cleared to return but Darius Curry was moving the team.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of poked
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

shills
shilly-shallied
shilly-shallies
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Cite this Entry

“Shilly-shallied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallied. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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