HESITATING Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

hesitating 1 of 2

adjective

as in ambivalent

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hesitating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of hesitate

as in faltering

to show uncertainty about the right course of action I didn't hesitate to tell them that what they were doing was wrong and that I wanted no part of it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hesitating

Verb

But experts have worried that doctors are hesitating to offer treatment without an ironclad diagnosis, which clinicians say can take time and increase risks to the mother. — Andrea Suozzo, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2026 Fertilizer is often bought months ahead of planting, so hesitating in the fall can mean less goes on the ground in the spring. — Jayash Paudel, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026 Cueto was known for hesitating while in his pitching motion, or wiggling on the mound. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026 So electric power companies and regulators are cautious, hesitating to construct plants unless future demand is guaranteed. — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026 Suarez, not hesitating, took advantage and sent his shot soaring. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 2 Aug. 2026 While some may be looking for more reasons to eat cookies, many more are simply hesitating to eat salads and other fresh produce amid a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, known for that unpleasant symptom, among others. — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 22 July 2026 The book does often feel like a recording of a mental jam session, but there is also a sense of being guided by a kind of hesitating yet urgent voice that needs to get things figured out. — Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026 While their rivals started spending significant sums of money as soon as the 2024-25 season finished, Spurs wasted a couple of weeks hesitating about the long-term future of then head coach Ange Postecoglou before replacing him with Thomas Frank. — David Ornstein, New York Times, 29 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitating

Adjective

But while trust in the Democrats on specific issues has increased, AAPI adults are ambivalent about the party as a whole.

— Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
When film and television try to capture the messy morality of these would-be titans, the results are predictably ambivalent.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of ambivalent

Verb

There were early indicators that both programs and public engagement were faltering under the board’s new leadership.

— E. Andrew Taylor, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
The grandees of Gullen have set their hopes on Claire’s bankrolling their faltering community’s recovery.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of faltering

Adjective

Stocks are near all-time highs, but the bond market looks much shakier and consumer confidence is decidedly sour even if people do keep spending.

— Evan Clark, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
On offense, the Rays' lineup got to Messick in the fourth thanks to some shaky Cleveland defense.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of shaky

Verb

To support Constant’s production, Shopkorn approaches their relationship in a more old-school model, sending her money as a stipend instead of waiting for a sale to go through and split it 50-50 as is now the norm.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Organizations that understand this aren’t waiting for adoption to bubble up from the bottom.

— Ryoji Sekido, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of waiting

Adjective

Belting out random songs while delivering high-level physical comedy and acting takes skill.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Furthermore, the whiskers are in front, preventing the drone from detecting sideways obstacles like random jagged branches in a forest.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of random

Adjective

The film deals with an urban legend that a Nevada reservoir is a time portal, and the aimless group of teenage best friends who become obsessed with going back in history.

— Brent Lang, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
Youth sports, once the redoubt of aimless childhood play, have become hopelessly commercialized.

— Nora Kenney Mittiga, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of aimless

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hesitates

hesitating

hesitatingly

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“Hesitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hesitating

adjective

verb

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