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

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 Right now, Taylor said, both sides are hesitating. — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 8 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitating

Adjective

The ensemble of actors is convincing in its naturalness, with the characterizations remaining consistently precise and ambivalent.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026
The powwow was more ambivalent than most Fourth of July celebrations.

— Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of ambivalent

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

Definition of faltering

Adjective

But if instead its excess savings finance unproductive investment at home or drive high household consumption, asset bubbles, or persistent fiscal deficits in the economies of its trading partners, the whole system becomes increasingly shaky.

— MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
Cowing is clearly the team’s best option at punt returner, while Watkins has been shaky there during practice.

— Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of shaky

Verb

Tehran has about 20 million barrels of crude oil on tankers in Asia waiting to discharge to China, the main recipient of Iranian oil, that is a source of revenue, Smith said.

— Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Law enforcement officers were instead waiting for him at the mobile home park, the report said.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of waiting

Adjective

This horror movie mostly just smelled of fake fog from a community theater production and occasionally you were startled by random bursts of air, once again pulling you from the events on screen.

— Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
One episode explores several years in the life of a random Jason variant who simply tries to build a life for himself in a quiet world.

— Andrew Webster, The Verge, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of random

Adjective

In this sort of time regime, pointless, aimless time becomes a rarity, even a luxury—and an object of nostalgia.

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026
In any case, the burgeoning Cruz-Josie relationship should make for a welcome change-up in relationship drama from the endless and, at this point, aimless Joe-Neal domestic saga.

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 9 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hesitating

adjective

verb

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