How to Use hesitant in a Sentence

hesitant

adjective
Definition of hesitantnext
Synonyms for hesitantnext
  • She took a hesitant step back from the door.
  • He seems hesitant about accepting the job.
  • The Knicks were hesitant about the price tag at the time, electing to save cap space for something down the road.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2023
  • In the season 2 premiere, the answer seems to be a hesitant no.
    — Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 22 June 2023
  • The first episode was filmed in the home, though its owner was hesitant about hosting a film crew.
    — Anna Kodé, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2024
  • The girl seemed hesitant to eat the food at first, and continued to sit still even after it was brought to her.
    — Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
  • At the time, many artists and labels were still hesitant about embracing the app.
    — Elias Leight, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024
  • But Woo is hesitant to call it a straight Christmas movie.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Still, Salisbury is hesitant to call the uptick a trend.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN, 18 Sep. 2022
  • Roman wants to bring Shiv into the plan but Kendall is hesitant.
    — Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 25 Apr. 2023
  • In fact, the staff was initially hesitant to make them.
    — Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 17 July 2023
  • Bill is hesitant to help him, but Bill relents after Frank begs him for a meal.
    — Randall Colburn, EW.com, 30 Jan. 2023
  • Will Getsy dial back designed QB runs and will Fields be more hesitant to pull the ball down and run?
    — Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 14 Dec. 2022
  • Burress was hesitant to leave his tent during the cleanup.
    — Helen Rummel, The Arizona Republic, 19 July 2023
  • Many physicians are hesitant to seek treatment due to the stigma and fear of losing their jobs.
    — Dr. Evelyn Huang, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2022
  • Utah, one of the most hesitant of the Pac-12 schools to consider a change in conferences, was left without much choice.
    — Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Aug. 2023
  • If the Senate signs off, the plan heads to the historically hesitant House.
    — Allie Morris, Dallas News, 6 Apr. 2023
  • The director wrote the project as a single film, but Netflix was hesitant to take it on because the script clocked in at 172 pages.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 7 Nov. 2023
  • Parramore was hesitant at first and asked Chang to write down six goals before making a deal with her.
    — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024
  • The fear of not being able to return has made Gazans extremely hesitant to leave their homes.
    — Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2023
  • Now, Sawyer said, state legislators are hesitant to back a sales tax increase to fund the project.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2024
  • That may be due to the fact the actor was hesitant to uproot or leave her family behind.
    — Jenelle Riley, Variety, 28 Dec. 2023
  • Again, for better and for worse, the EU is more hesitant to use direct coercion than is the United States.
    — Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Even though Roald has just chased Joe through the woods with a shotgun, pushed him out a window, and was the least welcoming of Kate’s friends, Joe is hesitant to kill him.
    — Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 10 Feb. 2023
  • The search begins When Gary McNulty died in 2019, his son was still hesitant to crack open the door to explore his birth origins.
    — Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 17 Oct. 2024
  • Doctors were once much less hesitant to comment on the health of public figures.
    — Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 18 July 2024
  • The junior quarterback was hesitant at times but had his best showing of the season by far.
    — Evan Dudley, al, 1 Oct. 2022
  • This kind of buck is hesitant to leave his bedding area during daylight.
    — Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2024
  • Still, a few rappers were hesitant to let other writers draft their lines.
    — Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2024
  • Zoom in: The hesitant vibe extends to local real estate, too.
    — Anna Spiegel, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hesitant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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