hesitancy

[ hez-i-tuhn-see ]

/ ˈhɛz ɪ tən si /

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noun, plural hes·i·tan·cies

hesitation; indecision or disinclination.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Also hes·i·tance .

Origin of hesitancy

From the Latin word haesitantia, dating back to 1610–20. See hesitant, -ancy

pre·hes·i·tan·cy, noun, plural pre·hes·i·tan·cies.

“We would love to finish what we started some years ago,” Branson told journalists at a news conference with notable hesitancy.
You Were Wrong About Miley & Bitcoin: 2014’s Failed Predictions|Nina Strochlic|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Also, because it involves reproduction, there is a greater hesitancy by the states to get involved.
The Real Problem With Sperm Banks|Keli Goff|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I asked Ferris if there was a bias or a hesitancy to recruit Native American kids.
Native American Basketball Team in Wyoming Have Hoop Dreams Of Their Own|Robert Silverman|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rattner apologized for his hesitancy and “closed [his] eyes and jumped.”
Speed Read Steven Rattner's Tell-All|The Daily Beast|September 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST

This was partly, it seems, due to his own desire to finish school and his hesitancy to move out to Palo Alto.
Accidental Billionaires|Samuel P. Jacobs|July 16, 2009|DAILY BEAST
There was a pathetic hesitancy in her manner, the hesitancy of a weak woman who adheres to a purpose only by supreme effort.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
Bright obeyed, began with much hesitancy, but found his tongue and made an excellent address.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
There can be no hesitancy, with the fair words of the crowd in one scale—and Ida Ross, unknown and unbeloved, in the other.
Alone|Marion Harland
He realized, and at the same time resented, the tribute he paid Braceway through his hesitancy.
The Winning Clue|James Hay, Jr.
Thus the cautious encyclopædia; but Ibn Khallikan has no such hesitancy.
A Boswell of Baghdad|E. V. Lucas

hesitancy

[ hĕz′ĭ-tən-sē ]

An involuntary delay or inability in starting the urinary stream.