hesitant
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- hesitance noun
- hesitantly adverb
- nonhesitant adjective
- nonhesitantly adverb
- unhesitant adjective
- unhesitantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of hesitant
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin haesitant-, stem of haesitāns “faltering,” present participle of haesitāre “to falter, hesitate,” literally, “to stick repeatedly,” from haerēre “to stick, cling”
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.
Companies might be hesitant to bring new workers into roles that might turn out to not be necessary.
"I was initially hesitant as I had no experience in acting and was concerned about the long travel from home," she says.
From BBC
Without this measure, many financial firms are hesitant to integrate digital assets into their offerings.
“I don’t … I’m not sure this is ... ” Her speech was hesitant, halting.
From Los Angeles Times
“I see people a little bit more hesitant on the higher priced discretionary items.”
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.
