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
Relevance
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
Verb
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The international community has not hesitated to recognize genocide in other contexts.—
Faisal Kutty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025 -
Democrats who come off poorly in it have not hesitated to disagree with her.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The release of key economic reports would also likely be delayed, economists said.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Recently, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has also taken legal action against the Department of Education, alleging that the administration has unlawfully delayed or denied access to loan forgiveness programs, such as IDR and PSLF.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
With a chance to win a three-game series at Los Angeles and make a last-minute statement, Jax faltered.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Years later, Rick Ankiel, a Cardinals pitcher, could no longer throw strikes—yet, when he was moved to the outfield, his accuracy rarely faltered from a greater distance.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After a disastrous trip to Mexico where Irina appeared repulsed by pretty much everything Zack did, the couple split and Zack crawled back to Bliss.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
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Just as Ted Lasso began life as a promo for NBC’s English Premier League coverage, Chad Powers crawled out of a gag on Eli’s Places, Eli Manning’s post-retirement ESPN+ program, in which the former Giants quarterback hides under prosthetics to pose as an aspiring Penn State walk-on.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Those questions only lingered after their third October, the two losses in Minnesota.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Aries fire burns away the residue of fear and doubt that may have lingered after the Virgo solar eclipse.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Because tiny holes are poked into the soil surface, more nutrients can reach greater soil depths.—
Lauren David,
Southern Living,
3 Oct. 2025
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In a 2019 post celebrating his third wedding anniversary with Miles, Minoso poked fun at his character’s romantic shortcomings.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As the weeks dragged on, agencies including the IRS and State Department called more workers back to keep things running.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Oct. 2025
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One letter submitted late Wednesday was from Gina Huynh, the Combs ex-girlfriend who previously told gossip vlogger Tasha K that Combs shoved her to the ground and dragged her by her hair in 2018.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shilly-shallied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallied. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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