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hesitant

[ hez-i-tuhnt ]
/ ˈhɛz ɪ tənt /
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See synonyms for: hesitant / hesitantly on Thesaurus.com

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hesitant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hesitant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hesitant

hesitant
/ (ˈhɛzɪtənt) /

adjective
wavering, hesitating, or irresolute

Derived forms of hesitant

hesitance 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
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