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
Relevance
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
-
Survey respondents shared multiple ways that unemployment can have a negative impact including cancelling dates for financial reasons and hesitating to even ask someone out at all.—
Gili Malinsky,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2026 -
As investors watched closely, even Republicans who hesitated to condemn the probe were careful to extol the virtues of an independent central bank.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
If Takaichi cannot enact the budget by the end of March, her government would have to compile a stop-gap budget, which could delay execution of spending measures.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
-
For people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, delaying or not getting care could be fatal.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In his view, hesitation invites escalation.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
semafor.com,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Despite some analyst hesitation that the popular running brands may be losing some of their steam in the market, both labels posted stellar earnings in their most recent quarterly reports.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries that falter under heat, thermal batteries use molten salts as electrolytes, which become ionically conductive only when heated.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Pass protection faltered, the run game stalled and Love couldn’t find a rhythm through the air as Green Bay welcomed Chicago back into the game and the Bears once again took advantage to end their archrival’s season in stunning fashion.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ultimately, however, the lingering impact of being dragged last summer is known only to the officer – who is said to be experienced, with more than 10 years of service as an ICE deportation officer, according to DHS.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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Early next week, a brief warmup returns highs to the 30s before cooler air likely lingers deeper into mid-January.—
Joseph Dames,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Big money’s hesitancy Wall Street hasn’t jumped on board with the same fervor as the average Joe.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
25 Dec. 2025
-
Their efforts were met with hesitancy from some families — installing sensors required Ayala to enter homes for installation, and some families had privacy concerns around providing data to the sensors.—
Alonso Daboub,
Mercury News,
22 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
If Dorothy was ambivalent about the camera, the camera was not ambivalent about Dorothy.—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
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Though fans certainly turned on Phelps as a result of his texts about Childress, the NASCAR garage will likely feel much more ambivalent about the news of his departure.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His arm was pinned into the back window of a car as a suspect sped away, dragging him across the pavement for about 100 yards, according to court documents.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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At least one woman was dragged along the pavement as officers appeared to prepare additional crowd-control devices.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Shilly-shally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shally. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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