SHILLY-SHALLIED Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

shilly-shallied

verb

past tense of shilly-shally

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Verb

When asked if Airbnbs are legal at The Club, Alvarez hesitated.

— Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
The French back line hesitated for a brief second, anticipating a potential foul, but Porro pressed the advantage and side-footed a shot past Mike Maignan in the 58th minute for the backbreaking goal.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026

Definition of hesitated

Verb

Eckert was interviewed again earlier this month after the process was initially delayed, with Southampton’s head coach back in Germany and recently becoming a father.

— Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Gen Alphas seem to know almost immediately when something is fake, overproduced, delayed or culturally disconnected, which is why the strongest content right now often feels chaotic.

— Kelly Samuel, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of delayed

Verb

But nearly everything else has faltered, including the president’s signature legislative initiative to overhaul elections by, in part, requiring votes to provide proof of citizenship.

— David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
The Sharks nearly made the playoffs last season, but, for a variety of reasons, faltered down the stretch and finished four points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the Western Conference’s second and final wild card spot.

— Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

Definition of faltered

Verb

Events ranging from a baby parade in Flint, Michigan, to a rock concert in Herndon, Virginia, and the America’s Mile marathon in Pittsburgh were canceled Friday as smoke lingered.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
But concerns have lingered, especially after major wins on contracts involving US government policy or actions.

— Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026

Definition of lingered

Verb

Scardovari, Italy — As the sun was rising, two fisherwomen dragged their boat through the Scardovari lagoon in northeastern Italy.

— Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
The animation is often rudimentary, particularly in outer-space scenes that are effectively a cut-out of a starship being dragged across a stellar background.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of dragged

Verb

Hull testified that Robinson later returned in different clothing, walking with a limp, rolled onto the roof of a building on campus and crawled to the edge of the rooftop around the time the shot was fired.

— N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Their father dismounted, went down on foot, climbed the fence his son had crawled under.

— Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Definition of crawled

Verb

It’s now understood that Russia in 2016 poked the election systems in all 50 states to check what protections were in place and accessed—but did not change—some very local registration rosters in Florida and Illinois.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 2026
The teen said Jones poked his head through the doorway, then returned to the room and continued firing before leaving the apartment.

— Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

Definition of poked

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“Shilly-shallied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallied. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shilly-shallied

verb

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