as in hesitancy
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
one moment's hesitation on my part, and the elusive butterfly was lost to me forever
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Recent Examples of hesitation
The fires weren’t the only reason for Bell’s initial hesitation to take the job.
—
Liza Esquibias, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
But that would extend the playoff for another two weeks, and multiple industry sources have expressed hesitation to stretch the event beyond its current 30-day window.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
But part of that unhappiness might be rooted in your hesitation to delegate tasks to your team members.
—Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
Taking small steps toward dating and being open to new experiences can help break the cycle of hesitation.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitation
Liza Esquibias, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
But that would extend the playoff for another two weeks, and multiple industry sources have expressed hesitation to stretch the event beyond its current 30-day window.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
But part of that unhappiness might be rooted in your hesitation to delegate tasks to your team members.
—Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025
Taking small steps toward dating and being open to new experiences can help break the cycle of hesitation.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitation
Noun
-
Nothing has been said officially in this regard, but perhaps some of the apparent hesitancy of coaches or Concacaf representatives to speak publicly on the matter in the immediate aftermath was based on speculation that the likely true nature of events involved some sort of misunderstanding.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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And Patton’s memorable opening speech hints at the film’s hesitancy about turning men into myths.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
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And then March 3 came around, and the president who cried tariffs was expected to announce some kind of rollback, pause, delay or softened tax.—
David Goldman,
CNN,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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During red-eye flights, four-hour delays, freezing plane cabins, or those moments when the plane gets stuffy, these pants have never let me down in any temperature or circumstance.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Mar. 2025
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The loss of institutional knowledge and potential disruption to services such as delays in veterans’ benefits or Social Security processing could undermine public trust in government efficiency.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hesitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitation. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
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