wavering

American  

[wey-ver-ing] / ˈweɪ vər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. fluttering, swaying to and fro, tottering, or reeling.

   To make things more bearable, he imagined she was close by—just beyond that wavering curtain.

   The two stumbling cousins came to a wavering halt, leaning on each other.

2. flickering or quivering, as light.

   In the wavering light of the torch, the old warrior's face showed fond concern.

3. becoming unsteady; beginning to fail or give way.

   It wasn’t just the physical pain I suffered, it was the loss of self, the wavering sense of identity.

4. shaking or trembling, as the hands or voice.

   "Our thoughts are with our colleague’s family, friends, and loved ones," said the anchorman with a wavering voice.

5. feeling or showing doubt, indecision, etc.; vacillating.

   The disciplined mind is strong and effective, while the constantly wavering mind is weak and ineffective.

6. fluctuating or varying.

   The participants braved the wavering March weather for an engaging and action-packed day.

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noun

1. the act or condition of becoming unsteady, vacillating, faltering, or fluctuating.

   Any wavering of attention is very likely to result in an error.

2. the act or condition of flickering, swaying, tottering, or fluttering.

   There was a wavering in the cracked screen.

3. the act or condition of shaking or trembling, as the hands or voice.

   Her fear began to manifest itself in a minute trembling of her hand and a slight wavering of her voice.

Other Word Forms

• nonwavering
  adjective
• unwavering
  adjective
• unwaveringly
  adverb
• waveringly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of wavering

First recorded in 1350–1400; waver ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; waver ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

Wavering on this promise shows a lack of belief.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2024

Wavering senators are likelier to base their decision on their views of how the bill will affect home-state constituents and its reception from local GOP officials and voters.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2017

Wavering Democratic officials at the time said Kennedy's stamp of approval was a sign to them that it was OK to take the leap of backing a young and relatively inexperienced lawmaker.

From US News • Feb. 20, 2016

Wavering, but prefer to avoid Grexit Portugal: Portugal went through three years of painful austerity in exchange for a €78bn bailout.

From The Guardian • Jul. 12, 2015

Wavering faith, in its chosen determining principles, is confirmed.

From A Dish of Orts : Chiefly Papers on the Imagination, and on Shakespeare by MacDonald, George

Related Words

• undecided