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
  • When Kimmel hesitated when guessing Spaghetti & Meatball, Affleck and Ding called upon Ding’s trivia partner Stephen Morrison, who opted not to answer.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2026
  • Natalia, again fearing a trap, hesitated to disembark—until the dawn light revealed the smiling face of the rotund Diego Rivera, flanked by Mexican Trotskyists and government officials.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 July 2026
Definition of hesitated
Verb
  • The official, who spoke on behalf of the State Department on condition of anonymity, said Brazil has indicated the approval is likely to be delayed until after its election in October.
    — Abigail Williams, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The article has been corrected to reflect that the university system’s timeline was expedited, not delayed.
    — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of delayed
Verb
  • At the same time, an already untenable diplomatic effort to end the war has faltered once again as mistrust deepens between the longtime adversaries.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • Even as broader tech names and momentum plays have faltered, Apple has hit new all-time highs.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 29 July 2026
Definition of faltered
Verb
  • Last winter, in his first crack at free agency, Arraez lingered on the open market until late January before signing a one-year, $12 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Yet my party of work friends lingered, seeming to savor the change of venue.
    — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026
Definition of lingered
Verb
  • The public information request process dragged on for several months.
    — Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • According to Lupo, Boise’s above-average traffic congestion, coupled with a lack of economic diversity, dragged Boise’s score down in this category.
    — Hali Smith July 30, Idaho Statesman, 30 July 2026
Definition of dragged
Verb
  • Figures depicting the Pink Panther, Spider Man and the Minions have perched or crawled atop the Dome.
    — Mandalit del Barco, NPR, 31 July 2026
  • One of Thursday’s stations included the ‘Confidence Course,’ where campers crawled through tight spaces and wooden obstacles in their heavy gear.
    — Julianna Mejia July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Definition of crawled
Verb
  • Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.
    — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.
    — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 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.

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Cite this Entry

“Shilly-shallied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallied. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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