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definitions

indecisive

[in-di-sahy-siv]
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adjective
  1. characterized by indecision, as persons; irresolute; undecided.
  2. not decisive or conclusive: a severe but indecisive battle.
  3. 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 for indecisive

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1. vacillating, hesitant, wavering.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for indecisiveness

oscillation, fluctuation, qualm, dubiety, pause, reluctance, delay, doubt, wavering, timidness, vacillation, timidity, indecision, misgiving, equivocation, irresolution, hesitancy, scruple, unwillingness, mistrust

Examples from the Web for indecisiveness

Historical Examples of indecisiveness

  • The indecisiveness, or feebleness, of his movements was more pronounced.

    The Sea-Wolf

    Jack London

  • He had none of the “indecisiveness which commonly renders literary men of no use in the world” (Sir John Dalrymple).

  • The indecisiveness which never dared to grasp the thistle firmly was troubling him with a new dilemma.

    Destiny

    Charles Neville Buck

British Dictionary definitions for indecisiveness

indecisive

adjective
  1. (of a person) vacillating; irresolute
  2. 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 indecisiveness

indecisive

adj.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper