as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
after a moment's wavering, she accepted his proposal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in hesitating
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
he's still wavering about whether to take the job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faltering
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side
the steel tower wavered for a moment before falling over
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in irresolute
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wavering
Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
That’s particularly true at a time of economic volatility and wavering consumer sentiment.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Vipin Narang, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025
Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Daniels worked day and night to address the needs of hundreds of families and parishioners, never wavering in his efforts to be a symbol of hope.
—Sophia Tiedge, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Yet Harry appears to be wavering.
—Alexander Larman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Thank you forever, my love, for never wavering when the inevitable storms arise on our voyage together.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Putin emerged from Beijing’s bonhomie last week – discussing immortality with his main bankroller, President Xi Jinping, and sharing his limo with wavering US ally, Indian leader Narendra Modi – aware that China wanted to parade its own bloc, unbowed.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Industry leaders such as Denmark’s Orsted, Siemens Gamesa, and General Electric have been squeezed by rising component prices, high interest rates, and wavering government support.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025
But Gray rejected the offer, never wavering in his claims of innocence.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025
Costly errors, lapses in concentration, and wavering decision-making have left him struggling to maintain the reliability required at the very top.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
Wendy senses Lizzo’s wavering confidence.
—Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
That’s particularly true at a time of economic volatility and wavering consumer sentiment.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
In June, Tehran paid the price for wavering, and the United States, for the first time in the nuclear era, struck the nuclear facilities of another state.
—Vipin Narang, Foreign Affairs, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
After wavering a bit in the 1864 legislation (which did not allow a deduction for federal income taxes), lawmakers in 1865 explicitly provided that all national taxes would be deductible.
—Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Daniels worked day and night to address the needs of hundreds of families and parishioners, never wavering in his efforts to be a symbol of hope.
—Sophia Tiedge, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Yet Harry appears to be wavering.
—Alexander Larman, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
Thank you forever, my love, for never wavering when the inevitable storms arise on our voyage together.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Putin emerged from Beijing’s bonhomie last week – discussing immortality with his main bankroller, President Xi Jinping, and sharing his limo with wavering US ally, Indian leader Narendra Modi – aware that China wanted to parade its own bloc, unbowed.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Industry leaders such as Denmark’s Orsted, Siemens Gamesa, and General Electric have been squeezed by rising component prices, high interest rates, and wavering government support.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2025
But Gray rejected the offer, never wavering in his claims of innocence.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025
Costly errors, lapses in concentration, and wavering decision-making have left him struggling to maintain the reliability required at the very top.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wavering
Noun
-
And if a player is Premier League-proven, there is also less hesitation to pay big sums of money to other domestic clubs.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Now ready for pre-sale, the Sync Oven and Sync Air Fryer exemplify an idea beyond a kitchen tool, one that replaces hesitation with clarity and guesswork with certainty.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As adults, this pattern can look like hesitating to ask for help, avoiding vulnerability or keeping emotional struggles private, even from those closest to you.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Concerns about the economy and tariffs do have some companies hesitating to make long-term decisions, but even with that concern, more are taking on long-term leases than were a year ago, CBRE found.—
Diana Olick,
CNBC,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
China's housing downturn has stretched into a fourth year, with prices, sales, investment and construction activity faltering across the board.—
Anniek Bao,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Investors’ long-running enthusiasm for artificial intelligence showed signs of faltering late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning as tech stocks tumbled.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
20 Aug. 2025
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
Noun
-
That could alleviate some of the problems, including hesitancy that some pharmacists and doctors have because of the changing rules and confusion.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
11 Sep. 2025
-
If there was any hesitancy about embracing a comedian with no filter, Notre Dame is now in on the joke.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead of clarity and a sense of financial empowerment, individuals experience costly missteps and are left unsure of where to find reliable guidance—eroding any trust in the mainstream financial system.—
Sandy Anderson,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
These cases have raised concerns about overzealous responses from companies, and left many companies unsure of how to proceed.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Josh Brolin, who played big brother Brandon Walsh, expressed hesitance about a second movie.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Probably not, given the company’s strange hesitance to part ways with its current leadership.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Jurors saw some wobbling footage that appeared to be taken from inside a bush, though prosecutors did not explicitly make clear if the footage was taken from Routh's perch.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
With job growth tanking and the economy wobbling, pressure is on for the Federal Reserve to start lowering interest rates, with markets now expecting a cut at each of the three remaining meetings this year.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wavering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wavering. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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