indecisive

[in-di-sahy-siv]

See more synonyms for indecisive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

characterized by indecision, as persons; irresolute; undecided.
not decisive or conclusive: a severe but indecisive battle.
lacking definition; vague or indistinct: the indecisive outline of the distant hills.

Origin of indecisive

First recorded in 1720–30; in-³ + decisive

Related formsin·de·ci·sive·ly, adverbin·de·ci·sive·ness, noun

Synonyms

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1. vacillating, hesitant, wavering.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for indecisive

Contemporary Examples

“We have a weak and indecisive president,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
The GOP’s Limp ‘Emasculate Obama’ Ploy
Sally Kohn
April 22, 2014
A speedster on the ski slopes, the racetrack and the highway, he could be slow and indecisive as a translator and elsewhere.
Remembering Dmitri Nabokov, the Novelist’s Son and Literary Executor
Brian Boyd
May 10, 2012
“I used to always find myself on movies with these indecisive directors,” she says.
'Prometheus' Interview: Charlize Theron’s Alien Fantasy
Ramin Setoodeh
April 20, 2012
He tells Lloyd Grove why he's thinking about taking on Obama and his indecisive foreign policy.
John Bolton for President in 2012?
Lloyd Grove
January 4, 2011
At this moment, Brown seemed particularly inconstant and indecisive.
Bubba vs. Moonbeam
Joe Mathews
October 15, 2010

Historical Examples

Better that he had been still silent, than speak that dubious, indecisive "Y—es."
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
If the push in the West is indecisive then our push is only to be postponed.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume 2
Ian Hamilton
With the sinking of the sun ceased the bloody, prolonged, and indecisive struggle.
The Long Roll
Mary Johnston
The battle was indecisive, but in its military effect it was a success for the North.
A History of the United States
Cecil Chesterton
Accordingly the battle had an irregular and indecisive character.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte
William Milligan Sloane

British Dictionary definitions for indecisive

indecisive

adjective

(of a person) vacillating; irresolute
not decisive or conclusive

Derived Formsindecision or indecisiveness, nounindecisively, 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 indecisive

adj.

1726, from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + decisive. Related: Indecisively; indecisiveness.

indecisive

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}indecisive

Synonyms

Related Words

Examples from the Web for indecisive

Contemporary Examples

“We have a weak and indecisive president,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

A speedster on the ski slopes, the racetrack and the highway, he could be slow and indecisive as a translator and elsewhere.

“I used to always find myself on movies with these indecisive directors,” she says.

He tells Lloyd Grove why he's thinking about taking on Obama and his indecisive foreign policy.

At this moment, Brown seemed particularly inconstant and indecisive.

Historical Examples

Better that he had been still silent, than speak that dubious, indecisive "Y—es."

If the push in the West is indecisive then our push is only to be postponed.

With the sinking of the sun ceased the bloody, prolonged, and indecisive struggle.

The battle was indecisive, but in its military effect it was a success for the North.

Accordingly the battle had an irregular and indecisive character.

indecisive

Word Origin and History for indecisive

adj.

Origin of indecisive