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
There’s a fight ahead, and Jacob’s hesitancy to accept the changing times likely won’t be his ally in it.
—
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025
Zoom out: The effort comes as some Republicans express hesitancy about Chavez-DeRemer.
—Stef W. Kight, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025
Some of the hesitancy toward vaccines can be attributed to a swarm of misinformation on social media and the internet, which, in many instances, has overshadowed public health campaigns.
—Sabrina Malhi The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024
And so there’s been no hesitancy with me sending you the Final Draft file.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025
Zoom out: The effort comes as some Republicans express hesitancy about Chavez-DeRemer.
—Stef W. Kight, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025
Some of the hesitancy toward vaccines can be attributed to a swarm of misinformation on social media and the internet, which, in many instances, has overshadowed public health campaigns.
—Sabrina Malhi The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024
And so there’s been no hesitancy with me sending you the Final Draft file.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitancy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitancy
Noun
-
Here, technology can help traditional sports but there is a strong reluctance to change the essence of sport itself.—
John Cairney,
Sportico.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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First-time show host Conan O’Brien explained the team’s reluctance.—
Paul Grein,
Billboard,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Taking small steps toward dating and being open to new experiences can help break the cycle of hesitation.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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But as the weeks passed, Minnie's initial hesitation turned into affection.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This patience and hesitance to pay up when the market looked good in early trading has served us well so far.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
27 Feb. 2025
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President-elect Trump is encountering some unlikely openness from Democrats — and hesitance and confusion from Republicans — with his talk of acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal.—
Andrew Solender,
Axios,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Reuters reported that a senior USAID official wrote in a March 2 internal memo that a yearlong pause in USAID’s work on health, food and agriculture in the world’s poorest countries would raise malaria deaths by 40%, to between 71,000 and 166,000 annually.—
Christian Ruth,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2025
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How Trump’s trade war could hit your wallet After earlier threats and a last-minute pause in February, President Trump’s North American trade war has begun while the tariff battle with China escalated.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hesitancy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitancy. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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