WAVERINGLY Synonyms: 223 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 5

verb (1)

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 5

noun (1)

as in sway

Related Words

wavering

3 of 5

noun (2)

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

wavering

4 of 5

adjective

as in uncertain

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

wavering

5 of 5

verb (2)

present participle of waver

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

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

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

The 69-year-old New Orleans native has never wavered in his claims of innocence, insisting since his 1977 arrest that the cops had the wrong guy. — Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 6 Aug. 2026 But as those renderings have given way to requests for special permits, Tromba said, her support has wavered. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026

Noun

Ocando advises looking for a waver with adjustable temperature settings, ceramic or ionic barrels, and a grip on the top of the tool, which gives you better control while styling. — Lily Wohlner, Allure, 18 Mar. 2026 When those practitioners are taken away from patients, our pluck and determination waver. — Mindy Uhrlaub, STAT, 16 Mar. 2026

Noun

There would be no wavering of any kind on my part this time. — Patrick Albanese As Told To Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register, 22 Mar. 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, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026

Adjective

Music is the focal point of each service, with Jeffrey playing guitar and keyboards behind the curtain, singing in a wavering voice reminiscent of Jeff Mangum about the subjects, ideas and feelings that have occupied his mind at various stages of his life. — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026 But by the time the Trojans had gotten into the pressures of February, the optimism was wavering. — Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026

Verb

But fans are wavering with Eli Raridon off to the NFL, even with Cooper Flanagan returning and five-star freshman Ian Premer enrolling. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 26 June 2026 There wasn't any attention wavering out there. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for waver

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waver

Verb

Treatment is more than a medication Any eligible person shouldn’t hesitate to start taking medication in addition to making lifestyle changes to reduce long-term risks, Al-Jarshawi said.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Other Western Conference contenders did not hesitate to upgrade their personnel.

— Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of hesitate

Verb

Without those conditions, efforts to end the fighting are apt to falter, and the strategic, economic, and human costs will continue to mount.

— Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
Apartment values appear to have faltered in Oakland, an economic erosion that has unleashed loan delinquencies and even foreclosures in a growing number of instances.

— George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of falter

Noun

Carr also believes large media companies such as Disney and NBCUniversal parent Comcast hold too much sway over the stations affiliated with their networks.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
It is inextricably linked to our engines of search, which have steadily gained in independent volition under its sway.

— Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of sway

Noun

At the Base of Trees and Shrubs Fences and rock walls aren’t the only structures poison ivy likes to climb.

— Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2026
During that investigation, a Spokane police officer found Farinacci sitting on a rock beside the road near the fire.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of rock

Verb

Tarrant County District Attorney In mid-November 1996, Narez shook her daughter, Kasandra White, and threw the child into a wall, causing her head to strike a door, according to the 1999 Tarrant County grand jury indictment.

— S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
On Monday, in the early morning, cheerleaders flanked the entrance to the courtyard, cheering and shaking their pom-poms as their classmates filed in, showing varying degrees of enthusiasm.

— Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of shake

Noun

That has left oil supplies being released in intermittent waves, rather than returning to the stable, steady flow seen in the past.

— , CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026
But the future president managed to eke out a second-place finish in the state, and subsequently swept a wave of Super Tuesday victories the following month.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of wave

Verb

Which is troubling for buildings like 432 Park Avenue, a skyscraper made using white concrete that features heavily in The History of Concrete, wobbling in the wind.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026
The House of Murphy is a juggernaut, but its foundation appears to be wobbling.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of wobble

Browse Nearby Words

wavelets

waver

wavered

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Style

“Waver.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waver. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of waver

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