Synonyms of waiting

waiting 1 of 2

noun

as in delay

Related Words

• delay
• procrastination
• hesitation
• indecision
• hawing
• wavering
• pause
• faltering
• wobbling
• vacillation
• second thought
• doubt
• uncertainty
• irresolution
• hesitancy
• consideration
• hesitance
• fence-sitting
• arrière-pensée
• indecisiveness
• shilly-shallying
• incertitude
• deliberation
• reluctance
• indetermination
• shilly-shally
• debate
• misgiving
• unwillingness
• avoidance
• uncertainness
• indisposition
• equivocation
• timidity
• disinclination
• faintheartedness
• aversion
• shyness
• timidness

Dissimilar Words

• determination
• resolution
• certainty
• confidence
• firmness
• certitude
• readiness
• eagerness
• decisiveness
• sureness
• alacrity
• resoluteness

waiting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wait

as in staying

to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something

please wait here, and we'll seat you shortly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• staying
• awaiting
• lingering
• remaining
• biding
• holding on
• sitting tight
• biding one's time
• holding one's breath
• expecting
• cooling one's heels
• hanging around
• sticking around
• anticipating
• tarrying
• standing by
• watching (for)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of waiting

Noun

What’s old is new (with less waiting) Disney is working on long-term projects to build new lands and thrill rides. — Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

In an open letter published July 1, ACI Europe and two other associations said waiting times reached five hours during peak periods. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 12 Aug. 2026

Wrapped in a blue blanket, the young woman was carried to a waiting ambulance as firefighters embraced and onlookers erupted in cheers. — Astrid Suarez, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Once the conversation shifted to the cost of waiting, price became far less important. — Andy Springer, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The waiting continues, but for Nickel, so does the preparation. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2026

But after so many years of waiting, Patterson and McConaughey have plenty to say about it all. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026

Those revisions included the five-day waiting period, a requirement for an audio or video recording by the patient requesting the medication, a mental health evaluation and barring any financial beneficiary from serving as a witness for the request. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

After months of waiting, the time to prove himself in a new town is upon us. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Verb

The timeline keeps changing while this community is left waiting. — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026

Tighten the plan, cut one extra, and let your spark support the work instead of waiting outside it. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026

Some were there more than an hour waiting for the pain to ease. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Getting real, not simulated, data on the vest’s performance would mean sending it onboard an Orion spacecraft all the way to deep space and waiting for a solar storm to happen, which is hardly feasible. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, as of mid-August 2026, China’s Chang'e-7 mission is waiting at Wenchang, the launch site on Hainan Island in China, with liftoff expected by the end of the year. — Wanjiku Chebet Kanjumba, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026

Rather than waiting until plants look weak or floppy, provide consistent nutrition throughout the growing season. — The Spruce, 13 Aug. 2026

Getting stuck in a cycle of applying, waiting, and wondering is. — Zulekha Nathoo, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026

The Department of Transportation’s permitting backlog, which this spring reportedly had hundreds of businesses waiting for a green light, hasn’t helped. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2026