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shilly-shally

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of shilly-shally

1 to show uncertainty about the right course of action
  • I didnʼt shilly-shally but instead raced to the hospital as soon as I heard the news
Synonyms of shilly-shally

balance, dither, falter, halt, hang back, hesitate, scruple, stagger, teeter, vacillate, waver, wobble (also wabble)
Words Related to shilly-shally

haw, hem

dally, dawdle, delay, linger, pause, procrastinate, wait

back down, chicken (out)

consider, debate, deliberate, ponder, weigh

oscillate, sway

equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, waffle
Near Antonyms of shilly-shally

decide

budge, stir

advance, continue
Antonyms of shilly-shally

dive (in), plunge (in)
2 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 of shilly-shally

crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag (also lallygag), mope, poke, tarry
Words Related to shilly-shally

fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge

amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll

decelerate, slow (down or up)

filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
Phrases Synonymous with shilly-shally

drag one's feet (also drag one's heels), drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time
Near Antonyms of shilly-shally

bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede

gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot

accelerate, quicken, speed (up)

catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake
Antonyms of shilly-shally

barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz (or whizz), zip

shilly-shally

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of shilly-shally

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 bureacratic shilly-shally of regulatory agencies
Synonyms of shilly-shally

faltering, fence-sitting, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, irresolution, pause, shilly-shallying, vacillation, wavering, wobbling (also wabbling)
Words Related to shilly-shally

delay, hawing, procrastination, waiting

arrière-pensée, misgiving, second thought

consideration, debate, deliberation, doubt, incertitude, indecisiveness, indetermination, uncertainness, uncertainty

avoidance, equivocation

aversion, disinclination, indisposition, reluctance, unwillingness

faintheartedness, shyness, timidity, timidness
Near Antonyms of shilly-shally

certainty, certitude, confidence, decisiveness, determination, firmness, resoluteness, resolution, sureness

alacrity, eagerness, readiness

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  1. See words that rhyme with shilly-shally Dictionary: Definition of shilly-shally

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