hesitancy

[ hez-i-tuh n-see ]

/ ˈhɛz ɪ tən si /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hesitancy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural hes·i·tan·cies

hesitation; indecision or disinclination.

RELATED CONTENT

CTE Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.

RELATED WORDS

skepticism, reluctance, indecision, hesitation, procrastination, uncertainty, irresolution, pause, wavering, delaying

Nearby words

heschl's gyrus, heseltine, heshvan, hesiod, hesione, hesitancy, hesitant, hesitate, hesitation, hesitation waltz, hesitative

Also hes·i·tance.

Origin of hesitancy

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

Related forms

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hesitancy

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 no time now for hesitancy; here was my cue, and I must plunge ahead, accepting the chances.
My Lady of the North|Randall Parrish

This hesitancy was a glaring testimony to the loose thinking and careless literary habits of those days.
History of Rationalism Embracing a Survey of the Present State of Protestant Theology|John F. Hurst
A day of inaction, an hour of hesitancy, might have been fatal.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. III, No. XVII, October 1851|Various
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
In spite of her smiling face, there was a slight doubt and hesitancy in her manner.
Jane Field|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

Medicine definitions for hesitancy

hesitancy

[ hĕz′ĭ-tən-sē ]

n.

An involuntary delay or inability in starting the urinary stream.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.