hesitation
Americannoun
-
the act of hesitating; a delay due to uncertainty of mind or fear.
His hesitation cost him the championship.
-
a state of doubt or uncertainty.
- Synonyms:
- vacillation, irresolution, indecision, hesitancy
-
a halting or faltering in speech.
- Synonyms:
- stammer
Other Word Forms
- prehesitation noun
Etymology
Origin of hesitation
First recorded in 1615–25, hesitation is from the Latin word haesitātiōn- (stem of haesitātiō ). See hesitate, -ion
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.
Nielsen, 34, thanked Macron for "standing by us without hesitation."
From Barron's
"It was the best decision she could have made," Abena says today without hesitation, speaking to the BBC surrounded by friends and family at a restaurant in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
From BBC
Rather than showing a lack of interest, this points to hesitation driven by fear of misinterpretation, rejection or cultural judgment.
“We’re just getting to know each other, so I understand your hesitation to talk to someone who is practically a stranger.”
From Literature
In that environment, power doesn’t encounter firm resistance; it encounters hesitation, fragmentation and cultural ambivalence.
From Salon
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.
