Showing results for "wavering"

• present participle of waver.

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

waverings plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• waverings
  plural

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 say that she had minimal experience in negotiations between workers and management, and point to perceptions that she’s anti-business.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2024

Wavering between plummy and cockney, Farrow’s English accent wanders from upstairs to downstairs and never finds a place to sit.

From The Guardian • Oct. 17, 2019

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 and narrow and sombre, it stretches upward on a gradual incline until it meets the cathedral stepping out from the line of the old houses and closing the vista.

From A Midsummer Drive Through the Pyrenees by Dix, Edwin Asa

Related Words

• undecided