WAVER Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'waver' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of waver are falter , hesitate , and vacillate . While all these words mean "to show irresolution or uncertainty," waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat. // wavered in his support of the rebels

Q: Where would 'falter' be a reasonable alternative to 'waver'?

While the synonyms falter and waver are close in meaning, falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear. // never once faltered during her testimony

Q: When could 'hesitate' be used to replace 'waver'?

The words hesitate and waver are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing. // hesitated before answering the question

Q: When would 'vacillate' be a good substitute for 'waver'?

The synonyms vacillate and waver are sometimes interchangeable, but vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision. // vacillated until events were out of control

waver 1 of 2

verb

ˈwā-vər

Definition of waver

as in to hesitate

to show uncertainty about the right course of action he's still wavering about whether to take the job

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to falter

to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the steel tower wavered for a moment before falling over

Synonyms & Similar Words

waver

2 of 2

noun

as in sway

Related Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb waver differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of waver are falter, hesitate, and vacillate. While all these words mean "to show irresolution or uncertainty," waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat.

wavered in his support of the rebels

Where would falter be a reasonable alternative to waver?

While the synonyms falter and waver are close in meaning, falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear.

never once faltered during her testimony

When could hesitate be used to replace waver?

The words hesitate and waver are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing.

hesitated before answering the question

When would vacillate be a good substitute for waver?

The synonyms vacillate and waver are sometimes interchangeable, but vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision.

vacillated until events were out of control

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of waver

Verb

Prada has never wavered in her devotion to the skirt and has rarely been spotted wearing anything else but an A-line cut. — Scarlett Conlon, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 The deaths were sudden and unexpected as their health wavered amid the challenges of adjusting to a new home, according to statements from the aquariums. — Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

Noun

From that moment, Roosevelt's admiration for America's Civil War president never wanes or wavers. — Douglas Brinkley, USA Today, 24 May 2026 When those practitioners are taken away from patients, our pluck and determination waver. — Mindy Uhrlaub, STAT, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for waver

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waver

Verb

Montgomery hesitated in front of Lee before cutting inside to leave Lee one-on-one with a defender streaking toward the end zone.

— PJ Green September 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
More senior employees may dominate the conversation, while younger employees may hesitate to speak up.

— John Abusaid, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of hesitate

Verb

Washington’s diplomatic efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine have faltered, with Moscow looking to up its defense spending next year.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
From 2019 to 2022, Solomon led an aggressive expansion of the bank’s consumer-lending business, which ultimately faltered and resulted in billions of pretax losses.

— Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of falter

Noun

Broadcasters use a part of the public transmission spectrum, which gives the FCC large regulatory sway.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Tehran probably does not hold enough sway over the relatively autonomous Houthis, for instance, to induce that group to end its military action against Saudi Arabia.

— RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of sway

Verb

But now, the occupation seems to tremble before Palestinian children holding paper and string.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Those afflicted would tremble and jerk around, lose the ability to stand or swallow, and, after many months of slow suffering, die.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of tremble

Noun

The Mexican ska rock band Panteón Rococó joined the list of Latin acts performing on NPR’s iconic Tiny Desk on Thursday to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

— Natalia Cano, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026
Jones said the team believes its drilling results raise questions about some previous explanations of the site as a natural rock formation.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of rock

Verb

The event, televised by dozens of channels across Serbia, capped a week of Vucic touring towns and villages in an apparent bid to shore up his popularity that's been shaken after almost two years of sustained anti-government protests.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Bottle tops popped, can tabs cracked, and cocktail shakers shook all day Thursday at the Aftershock music festival at Sacramento’s Discovery Park.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of shake

Noun

Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through Thursday night, with heavy rainfall in waves that could lead to flooding along area rivers, creeks and streams, the National Weather Service said.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
The science is real but narrower than the marketing suggests, and the gap between the two is about to shape the next wave of skincare launches.

— Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of wave

Browse Nearby Words

wavelets

waver

wavered

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Cite this Entry

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“Waver.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waver. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of waver

verb

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