IRRESOLUTIONS Synonyms: 99 Similar and Opposite Words

irresolute 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of irresolute

as in uncertain

formal not certain about what to do; not resolute He has been criticized as an irresolute leader.

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Dissimilar Words

irresolution

2 of 2

noun

as in hesitation

a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action after a moment of anguished irresolution, I raised my rifle and fired at the charging animal

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 irresolute

Adjective

Both Fortune and Harris express having great empathy for the protagonist, who was an insecure girl that had an irresolute boyfriend and made a grave mistake. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 June 2026 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, 14 Oct. 2025 The prevailing sense among investors and market handicappers entering the month was to expect choppy, irresolute action full of potential scares. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2024 Showing signs of being irresolute can signal weakness that adversaries take note of. — Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 5 Jan. 2024

Noun

The result is that her whole novel is colored by a sense of irresolution. — Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2026 Marcon never allows Ludwig or Fritz the release of closure; the films don’t so much restart as stay in a state of irresolution, endlessly pressing pause. — Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026 Such an image of irresolution encourages anti-American governments and terrorist groups. — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Reilly, who composed the song wholesale, seems content to swap his Satie-esque irresolution for something straightforwardly plaintive, like a lullaby. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026 In those heady decades of postmodern language-play and seductive irresolution, claims for literature as a force for truth and justice would likely be dismissed, with a smirk, as humanist pieties. — Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for irresolute

Adjective

Called Motor Decide, the tool is designed to help industries evaluate electric motor technologies and make informed decisions under uncertain market conditions.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
These industry changes come at an uncertain time as artificial intelligence encroaches on the creative field and consumers are turning to social media platforms for music consumption and discovery.

— Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of uncertain

Adjective

Chang was still hesitant to believe that Raman was actually going to win, having watched Hong’s polling advantage in Wisconsin evaporate.

— Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
None of these feel significant to the business, but each one gives a hesitant buyer a reason to pause, and pauses are where deals go to die.

— Dr. Sariki Abungwo, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of hesitant

Adjective

And judging by the fall/winter 2026 runways, designers are feeling particularly indecisive, in the best possible way.

— Camila Quimper, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Those types of responses have riled her critics, who have portrayed her as indecisive at best, and an opportunist at worst.

— David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of indecisive

Adjective

But according to Galloway, shortly before his death in 1989, a friend came upon an infirm Olivier watching one of Leigh’s films.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
Earlier this month, Nancy Guthrie, the elderly and infirm mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was violently taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026