indecisive
Americanadjective
-
characterized by indecision, as persons; irresolute; undecided.
- Synonyms:
- hesitant, vacillating
-
not decisive or conclusive.
a severe but indecisive battle.
-
lacking definition; vague or indistinct.
the indecisive outline of the distant hills.
adjective
-
(of a person) vacillating; irresolute
-
not decisive or conclusive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of indecisive
Explanation
If you’re indecisive, you have a hard time making decisions. When you finally do make a decision, you may not be confident about it, or you might change your mind. Another definition for indecisive is not definitely settling something, like when election results are too close to call or some result has been called into question. Several historic American elections have had this happen in the recent past, and in that case, the election result remains indecisive until a recount has been finished or until one party gives a concession speech.
Vocabulary lists containing indecisive
in-
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
in-
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Words of Nick Carraway
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Those types of responses have riled her critics, who have portrayed her as indecisive at best, and an opportunist at worst.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Now, people close to her say she’s often indecisive, weighed down by worries over how both Trump and López Obrador’s loyalists will react.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
"From a US perspective, I would say the US was operationally brilliant but the conflict was strategically indecisive," said Singh, now managing director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
In the opening weeks of his reign, some players are believed to have found Frank indecisive.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
At the end there was an indecisive, semiserious silence and then Brinker said, “Phineas, if you please.”
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
