vacillation

noun

vac·​il·​la·​tion ˌva-sə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce vacillation (audio)
Synonyms of vacillation
1
: an act or instance of vacillating
2
: inability to take a stand : irresolution, indecision

Synonyms of vacillation

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of vacillation in a Sentence

the president was soundly criticized for his vacillation before responding to the crisis
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But California continues to incentivize the development of new products and, perhaps, offers a better long-term signal than vacillations at the federal level. — Justin Worland, Time, 7 Aug. 2026 Indeed, at least some of the vacillations seem to be driven by public opinion. — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026 This is familiar territory for singular sports figures; think of how, over three seasons of 100 Foot Wave, big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara has opened up about his own vacillation between craving dominance and fearing irrelevance. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 May 2026 Energy policy vacillation in the US is spooking investors and leaving the country less prepared to compete in the global economy. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 16 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vacillation

Word History

Etymology

Middle English vacillacion, borrowed from Latin vacillātiōn-, vacillātiō, from vacillāre "to be unsteady, vacillate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of vacillation was in the 15th century

Rhymes for vacillation

See All Rhymes for vacillation

Browse Nearby Words

vacillatingly
vacillation
vacillator
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vacillation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacillation. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All