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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in uncertain
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Dissimilar Words
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wavering
Anna Clark, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
In this atmosphere, as ProPublica has reported, there’s been widespread wavering on water fluoridation, even in Michigan, where the treatment debuted more than 80 years ago.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 14 Jan. 2026
However, the projections being made insinuate some potential wavering on his side.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The lesser among them, the timorous, the doubtful, and the wavering, stood back, watching, waiting for some greater sign, savoring their doubts.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
This simple step before beginning a project is the easiest way to prevent wavering between keeping an item or discarding it.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
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
Vogue Business Team, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2025
Stocco said in a wavering voice.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Rather than conciliate a wavering citizenry, two years of occupation had instead inspired tens of thousands of other colonists to join the resistance to British rule.
—Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Her question, in Lipe-Smith’s inquisitive piccolo of a voice, is heartbreaking in its blend of straightforwardness and desperate desire, as is her mother’s wavering response.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
However, Honda’s commitment was wavering, and German powerhouses Audi and Porsche were considering F1 entries.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Nix’s locker room, though, has no wavering faith in their young leader, as right tackle Mike McGlinchey emphasized.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
The court ruling, the NTP report and the wavering stance of federal agencies have empowered a backlash to fluoridation in state and local governments.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2025
Chief among those hurdles this year, Eskelund said, is a wavering Chinese economy that has struggled to mount a robust rebound since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Ed Bok Lee, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
While our pantries were stocked and our resolutions were made, nearly two weeks in, our resolve may be wavering.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2026
While college tuition continues to increase nationwide, students are expected to enter the current workforce with student loans wavering above them.
—Tevon Blair, Essence, 9 Jan. 2026
The forecast models are wavering a bit on when the rain will arrive but the trend is more toward Friday night and Saturday.
—Bill Kelly, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Cassidy voted to confirm Kennedy despite publicly wavering over his vaccine views.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2025
Since then, Republican dissent has only seemed to grow — with some members who previously supported the bill now wavering.
—Joey Cappelletti, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2025
What is unusual is the borough’s wavering property values over the past decade.
—Robert Frank,carlos Waters, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2025
Trump, meanwhile, has aggressively pursued tariffs and the deportation of immigrants without legal status, while wavering at times in his support for Ukraine against Russian attacks.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025
Noun
In this atmosphere, as ProPublica has reported, there’s been widespread wavering on water fluoridation, even in Michigan, where the treatment debuted more than 80 years ago.
—Anna Clark, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
In this atmosphere, as ProPublica has reported, there’s been widespread wavering on water fluoridation, even in Michigan, where the treatment debuted more than 80 years ago.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 14 Jan. 2026
However, the projections being made insinuate some potential wavering on his side.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The lesser among them, the timorous, the doubtful, and the wavering, stood back, watching, waiting for some greater sign, savoring their doubts.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
This simple step before beginning a project is the easiest way to prevent wavering between keeping an item or discarding it.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
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
In his new role, Jejurikar will be tasked with driving sales performance amid a wavering global market.
—Vogue Business Team, Vogue, 4 Nov. 2025
Stocco said in a wavering voice.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 23 Oct. 2025
Rather than conciliate a wavering citizenry, two years of occupation had instead inspired tens of thousands of other colonists to join the resistance to British rule.
—Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Her question, in Lipe-Smith’s inquisitive piccolo of a voice, is heartbreaking in its blend of straightforwardness and desperate desire, as is her mother’s wavering response.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
However, Honda’s commitment was wavering, and German powerhouses Audi and Porsche were considering F1 entries.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Nix’s locker room, though, has no wavering faith in their young leader, as right tackle Mike McGlinchey emphasized.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
The court ruling, the NTP report and the wavering stance of federal agencies have empowered a backlash to fluoridation in state and local governments.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2025
Chief among those hurdles this year, Eskelund said, is a wavering Chinese economy that has struggled to mount a robust rebound since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
Or, maybe, our first night of vigil for Alex Jeffery Pretti, will be a kind of wavering candlelight in the deep, dark moral and ethical power outage that is America, for so many near and far.
—Ed Bok Lee, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
While our pantries were stocked and our resolutions were made, nearly two weeks in, our resolve may be wavering.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2026
While college tuition continues to increase nationwide, students are expected to enter the current workforce with student loans wavering above them.
—Tevon Blair, Essence, 9 Jan. 2026
The forecast models are wavering a bit on when the rain will arrive but the trend is more toward Friday night and Saturday.
—Bill Kelly, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2026
Cassidy voted to confirm Kennedy despite publicly wavering over his vaccine views.
—Joseph Choi, The Hill, 5 Dec. 2025
Since then, Republican dissent has only seemed to grow — with some members who previously supported the bill now wavering.
—Joey Cappelletti, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2025
What is unusual is the borough’s wavering property values over the past decade.
—Robert Frank,carlos Waters, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2025
Trump, meanwhile, has aggressively pursued tariffs and the deportation of immigrants without legal status, while wavering at times in his support for Ukraine against Russian attacks.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 19 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wavering
Noun
-
Over time, this hesitation creates cognitive overload, last-minute scrambling and fewer growth opportunities for other leaders.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
According to Tuff, what causes leaders to miss these paradigm shifts is not ignorance but hesitation.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But even as India retains its growth story amid an increasingly uncertain global economic environment, its weak currency is a cause of concern for the government.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Norfolk Southern's quarterly profit slipped 12% amid the uncertain economy as well as unusual costs related to its efforts to merge with Union Pacific in an $85 billion deal that would create a transcontinental railroad.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The appeals court, however, said staying the injunction serves the public interest by preventing federal agents from hesitating while carrying out lawful duties.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Although police still can use less-lethal weapons to contain unruly demonstrators, the city claimed the rules put officers at risk of hesitating in chaotic situations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Darnold has also found some big-game redemption after faltering for the Minnesota Vikings late in the season last year.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Jan. 2026
-
And his retribution campaign—faltering to this point, to be sure—targeted the chairman of the Federal Reserve, who is now the subject of a Justice Department investigation.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There are plenty of directions the franchise could go, but a hesitancy to commit to anything more than one-off stories.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Big money’s hesitancy Wall Street hasn’t jumped on board with the same fervor as the average Joe.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
25 Dec. 2025
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
Noun
-
But the unwillingness to even take them, the same hesitance that Nance and most others believed was in the past, is hurting his overall game.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
After a little practice breathing through the tube and getting past her initial hesitance, Jenner puts her face into the water, and comes back up immediately, her hair stuck to her skin.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
According to Aars, much more research is needed to understand how other polar bears are adapting to climate change — and scientists are still unsure whether the polar bears of Svalbard can maintain their reindeer- and walrus-based diet.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
-
When unsure, the safest course is to consult your doctor about a booster, which is safe for most adults.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wavering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wavering. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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