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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wavering
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
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Misiorowski was wavering as well.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
But even if earnings come in better than expected, Wall Street veteran Art Hogan believes that stocks will likely trade sideways from here, wavering near all-time highs as long as trade war uncertainty persists.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
After decades of fluoridating drinking water to improve public health, some communities are wavering on the practice.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2025
But as the days without the car add up and the car invoices keep coming in, Phillips said his faith in the brand is wavering.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Thune renewed his call Friday for wavering moderate Democratic senators to vote for the House bill, which Democrats rejected during two separate votes Tuesday and Wednesday.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 3 Oct. 2025
Between tariff policy back-and-forths, supplier negotiations, and wavering consumer demand, retailers’ pricing has been in flux.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
For the first time, his façade is wavering before Estelle’s eyes.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
Meanwhile, car values are wavering.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Misiorowski was wavering as well.
—Katie Woo, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
But even if earnings come in better than expected, Wall Street veteran Art Hogan believes that stocks will likely trade sideways from here, wavering near all-time highs as long as trade war uncertainty persists.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
After decades of fluoridating drinking water to improve public health, some communities are wavering on the practice.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2025
But as the days without the car add up and the car invoices keep coming in, Phillips said his faith in the brand is wavering.
—Liam Rappleye, Freep.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Thune renewed his call Friday for wavering moderate Democratic senators to vote for the House bill, which Democrats rejected during two separate votes Tuesday and Wednesday.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 3 Oct. 2025
Between tariff policy back-and-forths, supplier negotiations, and wavering consumer demand, retailers’ pricing has been in flux.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
For the first time, his façade is wavering before Estelle’s eyes.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wavering
Noun
-
So there's no hesitation in that regard.—
EW Staff,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Tuesday's result capped a tumultuous final month that saw national Republican condemnation, Democratic hesitation and equivocation, and a barrage of attack ads.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
At the moment, its age is still uncertain.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
-
How Barton will advance his campaigns now is uncertain.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Chamandy said that, because of the ambiguity associated with the tariffs, companies are still hesitating to change suppliers until the dust settles.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Nov. 2025
-
For now, Ian’s hesitating to tell Mike.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That reinforced the idea that inflation concerns should take a backseat to worries about faltering job growth.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
29 Oct. 2025
-
After faltering in the semifinals of the 2024 WNBA playoffs, Wilson and the Aces capped off a dominant postseason run Friday by sweeping the Phoenix Mercury with a 97-86 win.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Wyatt gave Minnie some distance, which made sense after Kylie spoke about her eldest daughter’s hesitancy around characters at the theme park.—
Rachel McRady,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Liberty’s own hesitancy to committing is based on her past as well as her day-to-day dealing with [divorce] clients.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
The judge continued to echo his hesitance following the reveal and shared an Instagram Stories post posing the question for fans.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Now, there is some reason for hesitance here, mainly because Raymond could be playing with a rotating cast on his line’s left wing this season.—
Max Bultman,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
While many restaurant chains have suffered in recent years as diners wracked by inflation eat out less, analysts were unsure if the chain's value perception contributed to Chipotle's issues.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
30 Oct. 2025
-
At 25, when half her friends ran off to marry well and the other half were hell-bent on climbing the corporate ladder, Bizu found herself in the middle, unsure whether to pursue a boyfriend or a business plan.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wavering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wavering. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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