hesitancy
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hesitancy
From the Latin word haesitantia, dating back to 1610–20. See hesitant, -ancy
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.
But in what is a largely positive report – the fourth published by the inquiry – there are warnings about vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and support for those how have been harmed by the jabs.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
“Moreover, the macro uncertainty likely creates a more cautious tone from the C-suite or some hesitancy in upping guidance especially for cyclical firms.”
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
“Their hesitancy to cut rates, I think, is actually ... quite a mark against them,” he said on CNBC.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026
“Looking at the full-year summary for 2025 it reflects the year’s geopolitical environment and the level of hesitancy that it entailed,” Chief Executive Vagner Rego said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
But my hesitancy only triggered something in Czerny that I will forever associate with New Yorkers—an instinctive and immediate push back against thinking small.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
