faltering 1 of 3

noun

as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action when it's so clear that this is the right thing to do, there's no excuse for faltering

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

faltering

2 of 3

adjective

as in wobbly

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Dissimilar Words

faltering

3 of 3

verb

present participle of falter
1
as in hesitating
to show uncertainty about the right course of action William Lloyd Garrison never once faltered in his demand that slavery be unconditionally abolished

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in trembling
to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the cut tree seemed to falter for a moment before crashing to the ground

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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 faltering
Noun
Reeve doesn’t see the team feeling an urgency to find a solution to its defensive faltering. — Anya Armentrout, Twin Cities, 19 July 2026 Many in town say the struggle to transform Scotia mirrors a larger struggle in Humboldt County, which has been rocked, first by the faltering of its logging industry and more recently by the collapse of its cannabis economy. — Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026 The Reds' season can be described as consistently inconsistent but playing well down the stretch and the New York Mets faltering has led to an opportunity to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2020. — Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2025 And the media went along with her coverup, despite Biden’s obvious faltering. — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The film spells out the gargantuan payouts that each Boeing CEO has received, despite the crashes and questions about their actions and the company’s faltering value. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026 In 2019 and again in 2020, the company launched a pair of spacecraft that latched onto faltering communication satellites and steered them, providing extra years of life. — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 22 July 2026 As its stock languishes below its IPO price — at press time, $131 — short sellers are going all in against the company, hoping to make a killing off of CEO Elon Musk’s faltering pull on investors. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 16 July 2026 His visit comes as interlocutors try to revive the faltering diplomatic process after recent strikes between the US and Iran. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 11 July 2026 Traditional oversight from accrediting agencies is faltering, necessitating new approaches. — Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 Surely a number of things, but faltering offense would seem to top the list. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 8 July 2026 Lower values for office buildings, hotels, and retail centers has become a key factor in the faltering pace of assessment valuations. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 6 July 2026 Silk City is by far Manchester’s biggest single residential development to be built in recent years, and will cap a 17-year campaign to redevelop a faltering retail complex that had once flourished. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026
Verb
Know More Saudi Arabia has been working on several measures in a bid to boost trading volumes on the stock exchange and reenergize new stock listings that had been faltering even before the Iran war spooked investors. — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 The same list of conditions is relevant to the debates about our faltering literacy. — Christopher Coffman, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026 But to arrest that decline, governments will have to address the faltering state capacity that is driving it. — Jennifer Pahlka, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 After Stearns and Kostyuk won the first six points, the Williams sisters cut the deficit to one before eventually faltering on Venus’ double-fault on the final point. — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 Two decades’ worth of Chinese investments in research and foreign policy are coming into bloom, Osnos writes, at the same moment that America is faltering on the world stage. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 The Athletic spoke to those close to Rooney — who did so anonymously to protect relationships — about his transformation from faltering broadcaster to one of the bright points of the national broadcaster’s coverage. — Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 The boy was burly and had a remarkable strength and energy that stayed throughout his life, only faltering in the very last throes of death. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026 Chris Jung | Nurphoto | Getty Images Shares of Nvidia have been faltering recently — and Kalshi traders predict that what the company can charge for chips is also declining. — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faltering
  1. hesitation
  2. wobbly
  3. hesitating
  4. wobbling
  5. pause
  6. uncertain
  7. shaking
  8. hesitancy
Noun
  • Someone may be ready to build with you, but hesitation, mixed signals, or too many moving pieces could slow the process down.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But the full game tape shows those are few and far between — his hesitation and questionable decisions make the lowlights a near-constant.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of hesitation
Adjective
  • By the spring of 2023, Billy Ray Corbin had lost more than 15 percent of his body weight and was woozy and wobbly on his feet.
    — Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Then came a series defeat against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with two home run balls against Kenley Jansen in the ninth of the series finale serving as another microcosm of Detroit’s wobbly season.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of wobbly
Verb
  • 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
Definition of hesitating
Verb
  • The thunder sound was a combination of wobbling window of shades of the ’40s to achieve that old school thunder sound that was layered in with some newer thunderclap sounds.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of wobbling
Noun
  • The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the trail’s sections in any order within a year, allowing for pauses.
    — Holly Ramer, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • This summer's pause in data reporting for Somalia came at a particularly precarious time.
    — Durrie Bouscaren, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of pause
Adjective
  • What remains uncertain is how damaging the resolution will be—and for whom.
    — MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
  • When markets are uncertain about how central bankers will respond to incoming data, speculation can fill the void, according to a Barclays report last month.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncertain
Verb
  • That afternoon, the president, inside the exposition’s ornate Temple of Music, greeted members of the public, shaking hands and warmly inviting them to explore the fair.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The handcuffs were taken off, and he was allowed to board, shaking with shock.
    — Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaking
Noun
  • Handy said hesitancy around the measles vaccine dates back to 2000 or even earlier.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Martone competes well, showing no hesitancy to engage physically or create at the net.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of hesitancy

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faltered
faltering
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Cite this Entry

“Faltering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faltering. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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