hesitate
Meaning
- (intransitive) To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
- (intransitive) To stammer; to falter in speaking.
- (poetic, rare, transitive) To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.
Synonyms
be uncertain
be reluctant
be irresolute
be slow
be undecided
feel shy
be unsure
have scruples
be in two minds
be indecisive
be doubtful
be indifferent
be puzzled
be shamed
feel awkward
make mistakes
show reluctance
shrink from
be sluggish
turn aside
walk back and forth
be bashful
feel embarrassed
be perplexed
be unable to do
be in a dilemma
be stagnant
be sedimented
be precipitated
be of two minds
be fearful
be hesitant
hold back affectedly
wait-and-see attitude
by extension
be halting
be loth
scruple to
doggle
shillyshally
shilly shally
feel ill at ease
Frequency
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈhɛz.ɪ.teɪt/
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin haesitātus, perfect passive participle of haesitō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), intensive of haereō (“to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold fast”). Displaced native Old English wandian. Compare French hésiter.
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Notes