1
as in reluctance
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
his appointment to the superintendency was confirmed by the school board without the least hesitancy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
his hesitancy in pulling over into the next lane while he had a chance resulted in him missing his exit
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hesitancy
But a broader cultural hesitancy about the technology’s implications meant that, once OpenAI made its breakthrough, Altman—its C.E.O.—came to be seen not only as a fiduciary steward but also as an ethical one.
—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Many of their star performers were overworked, in part due to poor feedback loops with leadership, lack of strong team communication and an overall hesitancy to name workload imbalances.
—Woodrie Burich, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Backlash against Harvard’s initial response to antisemitism accusations Harvard’s initial hesitancy to condemn the Hamas terror attack led to accusations that Harvard had become tolerant of antisemitism.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Long after his work was exposed as fraudulent, Wakefield left a legacy of harm that persists even today, Vaccine hesitancy is rising again in the United States.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Many of their star performers were overworked, in part due to poor feedback loops with leadership, lack of strong team communication and an overall hesitancy to name workload imbalances.
—Woodrie Burich, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Backlash against Harvard’s initial response to antisemitism accusations Harvard’s initial hesitancy to condemn the Hamas terror attack led to accusations that Harvard had become tolerant of antisemitism.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Long after his work was exposed as fraudulent, Wakefield left a legacy of harm that persists even today, Vaccine hesitancy is rising again in the United States.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitancy
Noun
-
Perhaps what’s driving continued reluctance to cover these products for weight loss is the overall impact that GLP-1s have on employers’ pharmacy budgets.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
-
But that would be a huge change in direction, given his consistent reluctance to confront and punish the Kremlin so far.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
However, during the hearing, lobbyists for both the Chiefs and Royals would not commit to staying in Missouri if the plan passed, which could spark hesitation among some senators.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
3 June 2025
-
At the time, there was some hesitation in the industry about partnering with a Chinese drugmaker.—
Kerry A. Dolan,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
Boomers are more likely to emphasize resilience, self-reliance, and the belief that personal struggles should be handled privately, that seeking help is a weakness, resulting in a hesitance to seek external support like therapy.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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However, there was hesitance among owners to strip division champions of their first-round home-field advantage, prompting the modification to reseed after the wild-card round.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
In addition to the hiring freeze, University President Ron Daniels also announced a pause in annual pay increases for employees earning $80,000 or more, a slowing of capital projects by 10% to 20%, and spending cuts for travel, events, food, and supplies.—
Paul Weinstein Jr,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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The pause and the every-other-year scheme have pushed Tarrant County’s next property appraisals to 2027.—
Cody Copeland,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitancy. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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