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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.
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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

Related Words

oscillationfluctuationqualmdubietypausereluctancedelaydoubtwaveringtimidnessvacillationtimidityindecisionmisgivingequivocationirresolutionhesitancyscrupleunwillingnessmistrust

Examples from the Web for indecisiveness

Historical Examples

  • 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
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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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper