shilly-shallies

verb

present tense third-person singular of shilly-shally
1
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shilly-shallies
  1. hesitates
  2. delays
  3. falters
  4. lingers
  5. crawls
  6. drags
  7. pokes
Verb
  • If someone hesitates, gently restate the goal and offer one reasonable option while staying loyal to your own needs.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026
  • In Spearfish, Yu hesitates over a set of cow grates and dumps her bike at low velocity.
    — Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
Definition of hesitates
Verb
  • Nearly all report that the process contributes to burnout and delays care.
    — Richard Menger MD MPA, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Cellphone use before bed delays the natural drop in cortisol that teenagers need to fall asleep, according to Alice Hoagland, PhD, director of the Insomnia Clinic at the Rochester Regional Sleep Disorder Center.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of delays
Verb
  • Extreme heat is redefining electricity as emergency infrastructure, pushing grids to their limits as demand soars and supply falters.
    — Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • While the federal government remains indispensable in public health, these state-level collaborations demonstrated that regional governance can emerge quickly when national leadership falters.
    — John Eger, Mercury News, 17 July 2026
Definition of falters
Verb
  • This separating of spheres feels particularly crucial given the embarrassment surrounding NFTs that still lingers among many art professionals.
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The next chance of showers and storms arrives Thursday and lingers through the end of the workweek as much muggier-feeling weather blows back into Maryland.
    — Cutter Martin, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of lingers
Verb
  • Researchers have developed a new control framework that enables humanoid robots to perform agile movements, including army crawls, breakdancing and backflips.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Markets do not hold still for a year and a half while your deal crawls through due diligence.
    — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of crawls
Verb
  • The latest consumer price report has arrived, offering a closer look at the country’s economic pulse and how everyday Americans are faring as the war with Iran drags on.
    — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As litigation drags on, the plaintiff will necessarily require a higher settlement amount to compensate for the fees incurred so far and this will make the case more difficult to settle.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of drags
Verb
  • Even in the bathrooms, the toilet and bidet are concealed inside a kind of Travertine bench and the showerhead pokes out from a monolithic stone slab.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • This is strong language, which pokes at our tribal memory of gasoline shortages from the 1970’s.
    — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of pokes
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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shilly-shallied
shilly-shallies
shilly-shally
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Cite this Entry

“Shilly-shallies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallies. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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