irresolute
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of irresolute
Explanation
Irresolute describes someone who feels stuck. A decision must be made, a plan acted on, but the irresolute person just doesn't know what to do. Resolute describes certainty. When someone is resolute, things get done: plans are made and carried out. But add the prefix ir to resolute and you get its opposite. An irresolute person isn't necessarily a slacker — he or she just doesn't know what to do. Maybe it's confusion. Maybe it's a matter of waiting for better information to come along. Either way, if someone is irresolute, you'll need to be patient — or willing to nudge him or her into action.
Vocabulary lists containing irresolute
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The Pearl
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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.
Irresolute as he was, the Prince was determined never to leave his wealth to a son of Louis Philippe.
From Time Magazine Archive
Irresolute, miserable, she paused on her way to the sofa where Napier sat, trying to read.
From The Messenger by Robins, Elizabeth
Irresolute as to my next action, I passed out into the upper hall.
From My Lady of the North by Parrish, Randall
Outwardly calm, inwardly Irresolute, she faced him with a quiet smile of confidence.
From Ailsa Paige by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)
And while she stood Irresolute, the spell was fixed: as when The power of spring thaws winter to itself.
From Papers from Overlook-House by Almore, Casper
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.
