hesitation
Americannoun
-
the act of hesitating; a delay due to uncertainty of mind or fear.
His hesitation cost him the championship.
-
a state of doubt or uncertainty.
- Synonyms:
- vacillation , irresolution , indecision , hesitancy
-
a halting or faltering in speech.
- Synonyms:
- stammer
Other Word Forms
- prehesitation noun
Etymology
Origin of hesitation
First recorded in 1615–25, hesitation is from the Latin word haesitātiōn- (stem of haesitātiō ). See hesitate, -ion
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.
In various regions, there is “a growing hesitation” over becoming too dependent on U.S. tech behemoths, which authorities have found increasingly difficult to regulate, said Vikram Singh.
Cricket reached her through specialised schools, where teachers encouraged her to try the game despite her hesitation.
From BBC
Brash said he had no hesitation when Raleigh called for a slider in that situation, in a 3-2 count of a scoreless game.
From Seattle Times
There she lays, like a deep-fried turkey, and the smell of her flesh leads most of the team outside to feast, with very little hesitation.
From Salon
When I dug deeper into how much DIY experience she and her husband had, she said with no hesitation: “We didn’t know how to do anything. We built bed frames for our kids.”
From Seattle Times
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.
