vacillate

verb

vac·​il·​late ˈva-sə-ˌlāt 

vacillated; vacillating

intransitive verb

1

: to waver in mind, will, or feeling : hesitate in choice of opinions or courses

2

a

: to sway through lack of equilibrium

b

: fluctuate, oscillate

vacillatingly

ˈva-sə-ˌlā-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

vacillator

ˈva-sə-ˌlā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• balance
• dither
• falter
• halt
• hang back
• hesitate
• scruple
• shilly-shally
• stagger
• teeter
• waver
• wobble
• wabble

Choose the Right Synonym for vacillate

hesitate, waver, vacillate, falter mean to show irresolution or uncertainty.

hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing.

hesitated before answering the question

waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat.

wavered in his support of the rebels

vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision.

vacillated until events were out of control

falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear.

never once faltered during her testimony

Examples of vacillate in a Sentence

She has vacillated on this issue.

vacillated for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, Mendez makes Mary the glue that holds these friendships together, vacillating between placating the egotistical Frank, yearning over her character's unrequited love for Frank, and later commiserating with Charley about Frank. —Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2023

But Reddit kept falling into patterns that aggravated core users without netting many gains: playing catch-up with trends, vacillating over priorities, and struggling over when to follow the guidance of people in the company who knew the mods best. —Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024

Despite finishing third in points allowed, the 49ers never seemed to find a defensive personality, vacillating from an aggressive blitzing team with elements of man-to-man to one that relies on front-four pressure and top-down zone defense in the secondary. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024

Mace’s defense of Trump comes after a history of vacillating in her support of the former president, which Stephanopoulos also pressed her on in Sunday’s interview. —Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024

Nora begins the play newly married to Jack (Liam Heslin), a vacillating soldier for the Republican cause. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2023

But during his brief tenure, Pascal is dynamic, channeling a man whose appetites vacillate between control and impulsivity, charisma and combat. —Ilana Gordon, EW.com, 11 July 2023

Masking policy has vacillated wildly since the arrival of vaccines; although the federal COVID emergency declaration officially ended last May, there was no corresponding call to end public-health measures across the country. —Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024

Warner, more than any other top election official in the country, has vacillated over the years between promoting election conspiracy theories and fighting them. —Kevin Collier, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin vacillātus, past participle of vacillāre "to be unsteady, totter, be weak or inconstant, waver," of uncertain origin

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Kids Definition

vacillate

verb

vac·​il·​late ˈvas-ə-ˌl(amacr}t 

vacillated; vacillating

: to hesitate between courses or opinions : be unable to choose

vacillation

ˌvas-ə-ˈlā-shən

noun

vacillator

ˈvas-ə-ˌlāt-ər 

noun