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
Yet Brown, who has vacillated on virtually everything this season, has gone in a different direction.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Trump has vacillated between indifference and contempt for the USMCA, at times threatening to pull out of the agreement altogether and work instead to negotiate two separate, bilateral deals with Mexico and Canada.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
Trump’s remarks vacillated between defiant and scathing.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
Trump has vacillated in his public statements on the deal.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Trump has vacillated between indifference and contempt for the USMCA, at times threatening to pull out of the agreement altogether and work instead to negotiate two separate, bilateral deals with Mexico and Canada.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
Trump’s remarks vacillated between defiant and scathing.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
Trump has vacillated in his public statements on the deal.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacillated
Verb
-
While much of Manhattan hesitated, the ultra-wealthy kept moving—and in some cases, moving quickly when the right opportunity appeared.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
-
When the girl hesitated, embarrassed, the boy insisted.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The right-hander — a former first-round pick by the Pirates in 2017 — missed out on his first victory with the Orioles since being acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay when Baltimore's defense faltered late.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Efforts to identify a leadership alternative inside Iran have faltered.—
Kazem Kazerounian,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vacillated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacillated. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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