as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
fortunately, during the crisis there was no shilly-shallying on the part of the president
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ambivalent
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in hesitating
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delaying
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-shallying
Noun
-
Neighbors expressed hesitation about the plans, citing the noise helicopters would cause, WPBF News 25 and WPTV reported.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025 -
Villa had known Elliott was available in the months before, yet the price caused hesitation.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Altman has remained ambivalent about the potential timing for OpenAI to go public.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Lin's only daughter is in college in the capital, with no plans to return — and ambivalent about having kids herself.—
John Ruwitch,
NPR,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Chamandy said that, because of the ambiguity associated with the tariffs, companies are still hesitating to change suppliers until the dust settles.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Nov. 2025
-
For now, Ian’s hesitating to tell Mike.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These cuts mean reducing supply budgets in most departments, delaying the purchase of new math curriculum and Chromebooks, freezing hiring for nonclassroom positions and canceling contract agreements that will not disrupt operations.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
In such cases, delaying treatment may worsen the condition.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Wyatt gave Minnie some distance, which made sense after Kylie spoke about her eldest daughter’s hesitancy around characters at the theme park.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Liberty’s own hesitancy to committing is based on her past as well as her day-to-day dealing with [divorce] clients.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That reinforced the idea that inflation concerns should take a backseat to worries about faltering job growth.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
29 Oct. 2025
-
After faltering in the semifinals of the 2024 WNBA playoffs, Wilson and the Aces capped off a dominant postseason run Friday by sweeping the Phoenix Mercury with a 97-86 win.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The overnight storm was likely triggered by a glancing CME arrival that combined with lingering effects from a high-speed solar wind stream, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Indeed, households, especially low-income ones, still face challenges affording basic goods and services due to lingering high prices.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
On Friday, two federal judges ruled that this pause is likely unlawful.—
Jennifer Ludden,
NPR,
3 Nov. 2025
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Some guests at the Sunday lunch said the pause had not hit them yet — recipients get their benefits at different points in the month, not always on the first day.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shilly-shallying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallying. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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