SHILLY-SHALLIES Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

shilly-shallies

verb

present tense third-person singular of shilly-shally

as in hesitates

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 delays

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shilly-shallies

Verb

Deanna hesitates, still wounded by the estrangement, but opens the house again.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Much of the film plays out in close-up as Alex watches, plays, thinks, hesitates.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of hesitates

Verb

Even if Illinois delays its natural gas plant closings, the state will need more batteries, and Richardson is rushing to provide them.

— John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
In this scenario, the heart attack now drives the pricing, while the prostate cancer delays the application.

— Howard Wolinsky, STAT, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of delays

Verb

Lucy’s constant sense of invention sometimes falters under the album’s new, megawatt spotlight, lacking the enticing mystery that gives their best music its power.

— H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
Power play falters For the first time this season, the Oilers power play was a no-show, going 0-for-3 in the first period.

— Janson Duench, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of falters

Verb

Lingering at the ventanita the way Malik Willis lingers in the pocket before taking a sack?

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
Corduroy’s dusty reputation still lingers, but the material itself has become more supple, richer, and far more sophisticated in recent years.

— John Vorwald, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of lingers

Verb

There’s also a less than 10% chance of showers, if one of the hurricanes crawls farther up the coast, according to Wofford.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawls

Verb

However, Fed officials fear that the longer the war drags on, the higher the likelihood that the spike will make its way through the broader economy and become embedded in consumer and business expectations.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
As the comet rotates, fresh ice enters the sunlight and sublimates; the escaping gas then drags entrained dust particles away from the nucleus.

— Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of drags

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shilly-shallied

shilly-shallies

shilly-shally

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“Shilly-shallies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallies. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shilly-shallies

verb

Example Sentences

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