hand-waving
noun
hand-wav·ing
ˈhan(d)-ˌwā-viŋ 
variants
or less commonly handwaving
or hand waving
1
: movement with the hand or hands made as a signal to another
Over the last decade, the frenzied screaming and hand-waving on exchange trading floors has started to go the way of the horse and buggy.—
Gail Marks Jarvis
Gail Marks JarvisThe woman and I cobbled together a lingua franca through hand-waving and the bits of Mandarin and Cantonese we both could understand.—Madelyne Xiao
Madelyne Xiao2
: insubstantial and unsupported or ineffective statements, arguments, actions, etc., especially when intended to distract or mislead
In many respects, his essay is the quintessence of the form, a frustrating exercise in bland soul-searching, misdirection, and hand-waving.—Laura Miller
Laura MillerIf this explanation seems a bit like hand waving, it is. Many of the details have not been worked out.—Don Lincoln
Don Lincoln… we never, ever take concrete steps to solve our problems, no matter how much handwaving we do.—Matthew Dessem
—often used before another nounMatthew Dessema hand-waving theory/explanation/argument
Examples of hand-waving in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On the flip side, while Denzel Washington is getting Best Supporting Actor buzz for Gladiator, the reviews for the film have been all over the place, from genuine positivity to bemused hand-waving to general annoyance.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024
Elon Musk’s We, Robot event last month, focused on robotaxi services, showed problematic hardware accompanied by a business plan that was all hand-waving.
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
The catch is that these companies might just be transferring their hand-waving from one set of words to another.
—Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 15 July 2024
Degrowth’s prophets offer little more than hand-waving in response to the most elementary questions about their prescription.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
In other words, Newsom’s approach involves a heaping helping of hand-waving.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Conflicts last about the length of a three-minute melancholy ditty, hand-waving away any real resolution.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
Bruce Butler, of Greenwood, leaned over to tell his 3-year-old granddaughter, Amelia Brenchley, dressed America-themed from head to toe and already practicing her hand-waving.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Aug. 2023
Martin is a milquetoast on the matter, hand-waving about heritage and compromise.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
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Joe Reid, Vulture, 27 Nov. 2024
Elon Musk’s We, Robot event last month, focused on robotaxi services, showed problematic hardware accompanied by a business plan that was all hand-waving.
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
The catch is that these companies might just be transferring their hand-waving from one set of words to another.
—Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 15 July 2024
Degrowth’s prophets offer little more than hand-waving in response to the most elementary questions about their prescription.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
In other words, Newsom’s approach involves a heaping helping of hand-waving.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Conflicts last about the length of a three-minute melancholy ditty, hand-waving away any real resolution.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
Bruce Butler, of Greenwood, leaned over to tell his 3-year-old granddaughter, Amelia Brenchley, dressed America-themed from head to toe and already practicing her hand-waving.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Aug. 2023
Martin is a milquetoast on the matter, hand-waving about heritage and compromise.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 7 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Hand-waving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-waving. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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