vacillate
verb (used without object)
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
vacillates
-
present tense formof vacillate (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
It is closer to music than epic, a mesmerizing suite of songs that conveys Tennyson’s private sorrow as he vacillates from unbearable agony to precarious hope.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
Peake’s staid and knowing portrayal stands in contrast and complement to that of Petticrew, whose resolute manner vacillates between a flinty swagger and true anguish.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2024
“He vacillates between being very intense and focused about his work and just really silly and fun,” Diarra Kilpatrick, who plays Paul’s wife, Clara, said in a video interview.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
Hurley said the way he vacillates between two- and three-guard lineups has allowed Saint Peter’s to dictate matchups.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 27, 2022
Whoever cannot be bribed by ten dollars, but vacillates, will be bribed by twenty-five or fifty.''
From Criminal Psychology; a manual for judges, practitioners, and students by Hans Gustav Adolf Gross
