hesitant

[ hez-i-tuhnt ]
See synonyms for: hesitanthesitantly on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. hesitating; undecided, doubtful, or disinclined.

  2. lacking readiness of speech.

Origin of hesitant

1
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin haesitant-, stem of haesitāns “faltering,” present participle of haesitāre “to falter, hesitate,” literally, “to stick repeatedly,” from haerēre “to stick, cling”

Other words from hesitant

  • hes·i·tant·ly, adverb
  • non·hes·i·tant, adjective
  • non·hes·i·tant·ly, adverb
  • un·hes·i·tant, adjective
  • un·hes·i·tant·ly, adverb

Words Nearby hesitant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hesitant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hesitant

hesitant

/ (ˈhɛzɪtənt) /


adjective
  1. wavering, hesitating, or irresolute

Derived forms of hesitant

  • hesitance or hesitancy, noun
  • hesitantly, adverb

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