as in irresolute
Related Words
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Dissimilar Words
as in hesitating
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
vacillated for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vacillating
Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
Trump has been more active than ever on social media in his second term, including posting lengthy all-caps screeds offering vacillating updates on the war.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
This hesitation was not the result of vacillating between options in indecision, but an active and regulated brain process to pause before acting due to environmental uncertainty.
—Eric Yttri, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026
Virginia Ritter spent most of her of the rest of her life vacillating between empathy and anger for her daughter's killer, all the while serving as a fierce victims' rights advocate in Nashville.
—Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2025
By the end of March 2018 Aydın seemed unsure whether to try to clear his name or lay low, vacillating between the two strategies.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
The actress' create a world that engulfs you into their faux-showbusiness drama, a world of women vacillating between supporting each other and backstabbing to get themselves ahead, with striking performances that led to Oscar nominations for Davis, Ritter, Holm and Baxter.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
This is the Alcaraz who is unbeatable, a man who cut out the vacillating streaks in his game that derailed him in Melbourne and Wimbledon.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
The status of further peace talks and other key details of the current relationship between the warring powers have grown increasingly opaque, with Trump vacillating between resuming saber-rattling rhetoric and indicating Washington’s readiness for additional negotiations with Iran.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
Trump has been more active than ever on social media in his second term, including posting lengthy all-caps screeds offering vacillating updates on the war.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026
This hesitation was not the result of vacillating between options in indecision, but an active and regulated brain process to pause before acting due to environmental uncertainty.
—Eric Yttri, The Conversation, 12 Feb. 2026
Virginia Ritter spent most of her of the rest of her life vacillating between empathy and anger for her daughter's killer, all the while serving as a fierce victims' rights advocate in Nashville.
—Brad Schmitt, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Nov. 2025
By the end of March 2018 Aydın seemed unsure whether to try to clear his name or lay low, vacillating between the two strategies.
—Moisés Naím, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
The actress' create a world that engulfs you into their faux-showbusiness drama, a world of women vacillating between supporting each other and backstabbing to get themselves ahead, with striking performances that led to Oscar nominations for Davis, Ritter, Holm and Baxter.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacillating
Adjective
-
Where Trump is unrelenting and single-minded, the justices have been inconsistent and unpredictable, and therefore appear irresolute.—
Noah Feldman,
Twin Cities,
24 Dec. 2025
-
Downtown, in his studio at the corner of White and Cortlandt Alley, on a Thursday evening in late July, Wyeth sat on his stool and considered the irresolute underpainting on his canvas.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Trump has criticized European countries for rejecting or hesitating to get involved in the war with Iran.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Academy seems comfortable celebrating individual excellence within horror while hesitating to crown its films as definitive achievements.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While the future remains uncertain for Lawrence and Rogers, the pair know that Rogers cannot live at her dad's house with her brother forever.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Those issues include housing shortages, rampant homelessness, the nation’s highest levels of unemployment and poverty, uncertain water supplies, soaring utility costs, shamefully low academic achievement in public schools and a state budget in chronic deficit.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The figures reinforce the extent to which consumer demand is faltering only two years after Tesla began delivering the electric pickup.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
After faltering in the crucial moments of its first postseason telecast, the stakes have now been raised for upcoming presentations.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
About one quarter, 26%, remain unsure; that response is unchanged since the youth poll's fall 2025 survey.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Looking unsure and a bit lost, VIPs from the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami straggle into the dim underground garage of a nondescript Little Havana strip mall on a recent Saturday morning.—
Carl Juste,
Miami Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My figures have two noses, two pairs of wobbly lips and lopsided torsos that often lean precariously to one side.—
Gabe Montesanti,
PEOPLE,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Anything worse than another Rory round in the 60s would have resulted in his lead shrinking, and a wobbly Saturday was certain to shrink the gap further.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Yee and others like Thurmond resisted such calls, saying the race was still undecided.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The poll showed that 23% of voters remain undecided.—
Tom Wait,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Brigid, a Catholic, is ambivalent about plural marriage.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Ironically, Chavez himself appeared ambivalent about such public tributes.—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vacillating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacillating. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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