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definitions

hesitant

[ hez-i-tuh nt ]
/ ˈhɛz ɪ tənt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hesitant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

hesitating; undecided, doubtful, or disinclined.
lacking readiness of speech.

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RELATED WORDS

skeptical, slow, unsure, tentative, shy, indecisive, doubtful, halting, loath, afraid, averse, unwilling, timid, reluctant, backward, delaying, diffident, disinclined, half-hearted, hesitating

Nearby words

  1. hesiod,
  2. hesiodic,
  3. hesione,
  4. hesitance,
  5. hesitancy,
  6. hesitantly,
  7. hesitate,
  8. hesitation,
  9. hesitation waltz,
  10. hesitative

Origin of hesitant

1640–50; < Latin haesitant- (stem of haesitāns), present participle of haesitāre to falter, hesitate, equivalent to haes(us), past participle of haerēre to stick, hold fast + -it- frequentative suffix + -ant- -ant
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hesitant

British Dictionary definitions for hesitant

hesitant

/ (ˈhɛzɪtənt) /

adjective

wavering, hesitating, or irresolute
Derived Formshesitance or hesitancy, nounhesitantly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hesitant

hesitant

adj.

1640s, probably a back-formation from hesitancy, or else from Latin haesitantem. Related: Hesitantly.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper