1
as in to hesitate
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 to delay
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
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
the construction project was once again delayed by the bureaucratic shilly-shally of regulatory agencies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shilly-shallying
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shilly-shally
Verb
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Utilize available accessibility services and don't hesitate to request assistance when needed.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
13 Aug. 2025 -
This can have consequences: Children who hesitate to ask or answer questions risk becoming adults with the same habits.—
Shelbie Witte,
The Conversation,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Thunderstorms delayed Thursday's opening round, softening the greens and testing the pros.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Aug. 2025
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Financial Narrative Control: In one case that stood out, a retailer’s communications team, reporting to the CFO, delayed announcing a new technology partnership for a year to better align with the company's financial narrative.—
Kiri Masters,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But with the integration of AI comes hesitation and fears of job loss, privacy breaches and misinformation.—
Lauren Giella,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Putin, Kuleba said, only needs one day of hesitation at NATO and European Union headquarters in Brussels to press an attack.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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High-multiple growth stocks often falter during economic slowdowns, as lower earnings growth leads to sharp contractions in valuation multiples.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Trump has made ending the conflict a major priority of his administration, though negotiations have faltered.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
3 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Debt from a 2018 restructuring lingered and mall traffic, especially in secondary locations, continued to decline.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Even as Andrew James McGann sits in jail accused of the ghastly double murder of parents on a hike at a state park in the Ozark Mountains, key questions linger about the motive.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But new listings were down also, a sign of seller hesitancy and the end of the peak summer selling season.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
5 Aug. 2025
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The hesitancy from his end will probably come from a lack of playing time.—
Tom Rende,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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An especially Jewish theme in the seventeenth century was not only the necessity but the dignity of subterfuge; to have lived in the shadows of another people’s empire had a nobility of its own, captured in this exquisite and ambivalent image.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 July 2025
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The field of psychotherapy may seem worlds apart from Corporate America, but both systems grapple with a common challenge: how to motivate individuals who feel powerless, resistant or ambivalent about change.—
Brittney Van Matre,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Gavin Newsom continues to mock Trump on 'Bela' The California governor's office has taken to mimicking Trump's social media style in posts trolling the president and generally poking fun at Republicans online.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
18 Aug. 2025
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Apart from at the very top of the tree, which presumably pokes through Florentino Perez’s office window at Real Madrid, there are no solutions, only trade-offs.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shilly-shally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shally. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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