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irresolute

[ih-rez-uh-loot]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irresolute ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not resolute; doubtful; infirm of purpose; vacillating.

Origin of irresolute

First recorded in 1565–75; ir-2 + resolute
Related formsir·res·o·lute·ly, adverbir·res·o·lute·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for irresolute

doubtful, fearful, fickle, halfhearted, halting, hesitant, hesitating, infirm, shaky, tentative, timid, uncertain, undecided, undetermined, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, vacillating, wavering, weak

Examples from the Web for irresolute

Historical Examples of irresolute

  • There was nothing more to say--time pressed--yet I lingered dumb and irresolute.

    In the Valley

    Harold Frederic

  • "No," said the poor novice; but the denial came faint and irresolute from her lips.

    Leila, Complete

    Edward Bulwer-Lytton

  • He was a peculiar man, to begin with—and an irresolute man, to end with.

    Blood and Iron

    John Hubert Greusel

  • For Hutchinson, poorly supported and irresolute, the strain was too great.

  • He remained before it, irresolute, like a fugitive, like a man betrayed.

British Dictionary definitions for irresolute

irresolute

adjective

lacking resolution; wavering; hesitating
Derived Formsirresolutely, adverbirresoluteness or irresolution, noun
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 irresolute
adj.

1570s, from Latin irresolutus, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + resolutus (see resolute). Related: Irresolutely.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper