vacillate
verb (used without object)
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
had vacillated
-
past perfectof vacillate.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
During the intervening week, the government had vacillated between conciliatory and obdurate.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 11, 2018
On the question of conscription he had vacillated too long.
From Time Magazine Archive
Day after day he had vacillated between the school and that fascinating store window, and each day he had looked, envied, and come home again.
From Paul and the Printing Press by A. O. (Arthur O.) Scott
He had sinned against her already, in that he had vacillated and had allowed that handsome but vile and worthless cousin to come near her.
From Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite by Anthony Trollope
Her mind had vacillated like a shuttlecock, but no one had seen the vacillation.
From An Old Man's Love by Anthony Trollope
