WAVER Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'waver' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of waver are falter , hesitate , and vacillate . While all these words mean "to show irresolution or uncertainty," waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat. // wavered in his support of the rebels

Q: Where would 'falter' be a reasonable alternative to 'waver'?

While the synonyms falter and waver are close in meaning, falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear. // never once faltered during her testimony

Q: When could 'hesitate' be used to replace 'waver'?

The words hesitate and waver are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing. // hesitated before answering the question

Q: When would 'vacillate' be a good substitute for 'waver'?

The synonyms vacillate and waver are sometimes interchangeable, but vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision. // vacillated until events were out of control

waver 1 of 2

verb

ˈwā-vər

Definition of waver

as in to hesitate

to show uncertainty about the right course of action he's still wavering about whether to take the job

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to falter

to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the steel tower wavered for a moment before falling over

Synonyms & Similar Words

waver

2 of 2

noun

as in sway

Related Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb waver differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of waver are falter, hesitate, and vacillate. While all these words mean "to show irresolution or uncertainty," waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat.

wavered in his support of the rebels

Where would falter be a reasonable alternative to waver?

While the synonyms falter and waver are close in meaning, falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear.

never once faltered during her testimony

When could hesitate be used to replace waver?

The words hesitate and waver are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing.

hesitated before answering the question

When would vacillate be a good substitute for waver?

The synonyms vacillate and waver are sometimes interchangeable, but vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision.

vacillated until events were out of control

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 waver

Verb

Trump has wavered on the issue, though Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said that the strait must return to being an open and free waterway. — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026 That confidence began to waver in 2019, when the United States did not respond to an attack on Saudi oil refineries attributed to Iran, and again when Houthi drone strikes hit the UAE in 2022. — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Noun

Ocando advises looking for a waver with adjustable temperature settings, ceramic or ionic barrels, and a grip on the top of the tool, which gives you better control while styling. — Lily Wohlner, Allure, 18 Mar. 2026 When those practitioners are taken away from patients, our pluck and determination waver. — Mindy Uhrlaub, STAT, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for waver

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waver

Verb

Changing the clock gets complicated There are reasons school districts that accept the science on adolescent sleep still hesitate to change their schedules.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026
Though her books continue to be adapted into movies and recurring series, Moriarty has always hesitated to write a sequel.

— Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of hesitate

Verb

In the rest of the state, Graham prevailed — including in the Charleston area, where former governor and congressman Mark Sanford endorsed Norman after his own Senate campaign faltered.

— David Weigel, 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 falter

Noun

Softening rather than stiffening when moving through space requires embracing your body’s natural sway and tiny micro-movements, like an ankle wobbling or knee jiggling.

— Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
That’s given Betancourt tremendous sway in Venezuelan oil circles, the people said, in spite of years of investigations in Europe, the US and Venezuela over allegations of corruption, money laundering and tax fraud.

— Fabiola Zerpa, Fortune, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of sway

Noun

People pointed to enormous rocks that had been washed downriver during the earlier floods, as others standing on a suspension bridge over the water were warned off with whistles.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Some pointed to enormous rocks washed downriver during the earlier floods, while others standing on a suspension bridge were warned off with whistles.

— Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of rock

Verb

Beck didn’t participate in the book, but Riesman finds enough friends, family and associates to assemble a complex portrait of an artist who wants his audiences to see him as fashion-forward but has had a hard time shaking his past.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Thunderous applause may greet one documentary premiering at the Venice Film Festival, fitting for a story of athletes who shake the earth with every footfall.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of shake

Noun

Southern California is in the middle of a Super El Niño heat and humidity wave.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
That scoreboard is now misleading, because the same AI wave letting those companies shed jobs is handing thousands of capable people the time and the reason to build something of their own.

— Lisa Curtis, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of wave

Verb

The ball wobbled, but Fields got underneath it for about a 40-yard catch.

— Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of wobble

Browse Nearby Words

wavelets

waver

wavered

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

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Synonyms of waver

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