vacillate
verb
vac·il·late
ˈva-sə-ˌlāt 
vacillated; vacillating
1
: to waver in mind, will, or feeling : hesitate in choice of opinions or courses
Synonyms
Examples of vacillate in a Sentence
She has vacillated on this issue.
vacillated for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision
Recent Examples on the Web
By this measurement, Milton would have remained a Category 5 until mid-Wednesday rather than vacillating between 4 and 5.
—
Alec Luhn, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024
Their subterranean seaside stone bunker is awesome, as is the film’s score, which vacillates between free jazz, drone, and psych guitar.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 21 June 2024
With tension around the upcoming presidential election thick in the air, most of us are vacillating somewhere between slightly uneasy and borderline insane.
—Alyssa Shelasky, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024
The Indian National Congress, the BJP’s primary adversary and traditionally the more socially progressive party at the national level, is one of several key players to have vacillated over the issue.
—Deepa Das Acevedo, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2019
See all Example Sentences for vacillate 
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.
Alec Luhn, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024
Their subterranean seaside stone bunker is awesome, as is the film’s score, which vacillates between free jazz, drone, and psych guitar.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 21 June 2024
With tension around the upcoming presidential election thick in the air, most of us are vacillating somewhere between slightly uneasy and borderline insane.
—Alyssa Shelasky, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024
The Indian National Congress, the BJP’s primary adversary and traditionally the more socially progressive party at the national level, is one of several key players to have vacillated over the issue.
—Deepa Das Acevedo, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2019
See all Example Sentences for vacillate
Dictionary Entries Near vacillate
Cite this Entry
“Vacillate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacillate. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vacillate
verb
vac·il·late
ˈvas-ə-ˌlāt
vacillated; vacillating
: to hesitate between courses or opinions : be unable to choose
vacillation
noun
ˌvas-ə-ˈlā-shən
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share