as in to hesitate
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in irresolute
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vacillating
Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
This week, Trump's public statements have vacillated between close alignment with Ukraine and Europe and talking about the war in terms more sympathetic to Russia and Putin.
—Tamara Keith, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025
That includes former Fox News TV host Steve Hilton, who vacillates between thoughtful reformer and bomb-thrower.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 3 Aug. 2025
Colin Farrell buries himself under a truly amazing amount of prosthetics to portray Oz Cobb’s evolution into the populist crime boss, who vacillates between entitlement, vulnerability, and violence.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Consumer worries Consumers are spending less as Trump's vacillating trade policy creates uncertainty, raising fears of a sharp economic downturn in the United States and beyond.
—Christoph Steitz, Louisville Courier Journal, 29 Apr. 2025
Over the next 15 minutes, the ship vacillated between stability and a list to port, with water accumulating on the port deck.
—Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2025
For decades, bohemian style vacillated in the fashion world as an aesthetic and style inspiration.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 July 2025
When CFOs stop their organizations from vacillating between across-the-board cuts to focus on increasing profitability on the one hand and investment infusions designed to stimulate growth on the other hand, cost optimization stands a better chance of becoming a standard operating procedure.
—Jim Deloach, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Verb
The president vacillates from one position to another, discarding policies like gloves—a cease-fire one day and a comprehensive settlement the next, with threats of disengagement along the way.
—Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
This week, Trump's public statements have vacillated between close alignment with Ukraine and Europe and talking about the war in terms more sympathetic to Russia and Putin.
—Tamara Keith, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025
That includes former Fox News TV host Steve Hilton, who vacillates between thoughtful reformer and bomb-thrower.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 3 Aug. 2025
Colin Farrell buries himself under a truly amazing amount of prosthetics to portray Oz Cobb’s evolution into the populist crime boss, who vacillates between entitlement, vulnerability, and violence.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Consumer worries Consumers are spending less as Trump's vacillating trade policy creates uncertainty, raising fears of a sharp economic downturn in the United States and beyond.
—Christoph Steitz, Louisville Courier Journal, 29 Apr. 2025
Over the next 15 minutes, the ship vacillated between stability and a list to port, with water accumulating on the port deck.
—Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2025
For decades, bohemian style vacillated in the fashion world as an aesthetic and style inspiration.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 22 July 2025
When CFOs stop their organizations from vacillating between across-the-board cuts to focus on increasing profitability on the one hand and investment infusions designed to stimulate growth on the other hand, cost optimization stands a better chance of becoming a standard operating procedure.
—Jim Deloach, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacillating
Adjective
-
The situation is impossible, irresolute— the B.J. Vineses and priests of the world shouldn’t get to walk away scot free.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The prevailing sense among investors and market handicappers entering the month was to expect choppy, irresolute action full of potential scares.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
12 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
Buendia is keen to stay, but his future will remain uncertain until the window shuts on the evening of Monday, September 1.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
-
The path toward peace between the two sides remains uncertain despite U.S. efforts for diplomacy as the U.S. government and its allies attempt to work out potential security guarantees for Ukraine.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Mizzou entered the contest unsure of its full-time starter between transfer Beau Pribula and returning backup Sam Horn.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
29 Aug. 2025
-
The rest were unsure or declined to answer the question.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Most of the voters, the plurality in this poll, are undecided.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
-
One year from a potential primary, New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart holds a large lead over her Republican rivals in the race for governor in 2026 with 35% still undecided, according to a new poll.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
An especially Jewish theme in the seventeenth century was not only the necessity but the dignity of subterfuge; to have lived in the shadows of another people’s empire had a nobility of its own, captured in this exquisite and ambivalent image.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 July 2025
-
The field of psychotherapy may seem worlds apart from Corporate America, but both systems grapple with a common challenge: how to motivate individuals who feel powerless, resistant or ambivalent about change.—
Brittney Van Matre,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vacillating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacillating. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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