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Synonyms

hesitant

American  
[hez-i-tuhnt] / ˈhɛz ɪ tənt /

adjective

  1. hesitating; undecided, doubtful, or disinclined.

  2. lacking readiness of speech.

hesitant British  
/ ˈhɛzɪtənt /

adjective

  1. wavering, hesitating, or irresolute

"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

Other Word Forms

  • hesitance noun
  • hesitantly adverb
  • nonhesitant adjective
  • nonhesitantly adverb
  • unhesitant adjective
  • unhesitantly adverb

Etymology

Origin of hesitant

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin haesitant-, stem of haesitāns “faltering,” present participle of haesitāre “to falter, hesitate,” literally, “to stick repeatedly,” from haerēre “to stick, cling”

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 many are hesitant to strike deals at today’s depressed prices.

From The Wall Street Journal

Is Xavier at all hesitant to accept Sinatra’s mission to find ALEX?

From Los Angeles Times

Seeing a scan with calcification can help sway patients on the fence, many of whom are hesitant to take medications like statins, says Khan.

From The Wall Street Journal

And the uncertainty has left many artists hesitant to say whether they would or wouldn’t use AI publicly.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investors have been hesitant to step in front of the March selloff, wrote BofA Global’s rates strategy team, led by Mark Cabana, in a Friday client note.

From MarketWatch

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.