vacillating
Americanadjective
-
not resolute; wavering; indecisive; hesitating.
an ineffectual, vacillating person.
- Synonyms:
- irresolute, hesitant
-
oscillating; swaying; fluctuating.
a vacillating indicator.
adjective
Synonym Usage
See fickle.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of vacillating
First recorded in 1805–15; vacillat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
If someone can't make up their mind, you can call that person vacillating. A vacillating student might not know whether to commit to a major in electrical engineering or in art history. The word vacillating comes from the Latin vacillat- meaning "swayed." When you're having trouble sticking to a decision, you can be described as vacillating — meaning that you are swaying between two choices. The spelling of vacillating can be tricky to remember. But vacillating, like its definition "uncertain," has the letter c in it. And to remember the two ls, think about the word's meaning, wavering between two choices.
Vocabulary lists containing vacillating
Frankenstein
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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The Importance of Being Earnest
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The arrival of the Iamaleava brothers prompted quarterbacks Joey Aguilar and Robert McDaniel to enter the transfer portal, with Demaricus Davis vacillating on his future, according to Foster.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2025
We hate vacillating on matters of major consequence.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2024
They're constantly in a state of vacillating between reality and the "What if?" and the sense of guilt, which keeps them in rumination.
From Salon • Aug. 20, 2023
As his parents, Michael Goldberg and Juliane Köhler come off as clueless boomers trying their best to be tolerant and vacillating between self-recrimination and despair.
From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2023
“Why, what do you make out that they done with their buttons then, Jack?” asked the landlord, vacillating weakly.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
