as in hesitated
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
vacillated for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision
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Recent Examples of vacillated
Aaron Peskin, another supervisor who leaned left, said that Newsom vacillated all the way to the end, as if awaiting the arrival of new information.
—
Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
While on the stand, Bianchi vacillated between different versions of his story and denied several elements of his original confession.
—Kelsey Lentz, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
His role has vacillated from being a starter or an offensive catalyst off the bench, but his attitude never wavers.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Ware has vacillated out of and then into and then out of and now back into the starting lineup.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Since then, academic institutions at nearly every level have vacillated between outright AI bans to formal partnerships with AI companies.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 22 Dec. 2025
Major averages vacillated through the morning but were at session highs heading into afternoon trading.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
The global economy has for months been roiled by a tit-for-tat of mounting tariffs, export controls and other penalties hitting areas from high-tech goods to high-seas shipping, as the US and China have vacillated between escalation and negotiation.
—Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Striking the right balance between freedom for adults and safety for users has been a difficult balancing act for OpenAI, which has vacillated between permissive and restrictive chat content controls over the past year.
—ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2025
Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
While on the stand, Bianchi vacillated between different versions of his story and denied several elements of his original confession.
—Kelsey Lentz, PEOPLE, 18 Jan. 2026
His role has vacillated from being a starter or an offensive catalyst off the bench, but his attitude never wavers.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Ware has vacillated out of and then into and then out of and now back into the starting lineup.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Since then, academic institutions at nearly every level have vacillated between outright AI bans to formal partnerships with AI companies.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 22 Dec. 2025
Major averages vacillated through the morning but were at session highs heading into afternoon trading.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
The global economy has for months been roiled by a tit-for-tat of mounting tariffs, export controls and other penalties hitting areas from high-tech goods to high-seas shipping, as the US and China have vacillated between escalation and negotiation.
—Betsy Klein, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Striking the right balance between freedom for adults and safety for users has been a difficult balancing act for OpenAI, which has vacillated between permissive and restrictive chat content controls over the past year.
—ArsTechnica, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacillated
Verb
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Even then, his father, Chris Oettinger, hesitated to believe his Olympic dreams would become a reality — until the roster was announced last month.—
Lia Assimakopoulos
Dallas Stars,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Asked if this was a statement game, Dahlin hesitated.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Tennessee faltered again right before half, missing six of its final seven shots.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Lock went 4-1 as a starter in 2019 after taking over from veteran Joe Flacco, but faltered in a rocky 2020, with a league-leading 13 interceptions in just 13 games.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vacillated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacillated. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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