shilly-shally
irresolution; indecision; vacillation: It was sheer shilly-shally on his part.
irresolutely.
Origin of shilly-shally
1Other words from shilly-shally
- shil·ly-shal·li·er, noun
Words Nearby shilly-shally
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use shilly-shally in a sentence
Strange that people will have so much faith in shilly-shally!
Charles Sumner; his complete works, volume 7 (of 20) | Charles Sumner"I have little experience of shilly-shally methods," replied his visitor.
The Open Question | Elizabeth RobinsI hear the shilly-shally policy of the English Government bitterly condemned.
Cities of the Dawn | J. Ewing RitchieI had rather be sent home to fight manfully, or to make peace politically, than to be in this miserable shilly-shally way here.
What keeps the simple man dallying shilly-shally at the fence, as if he actually wanted them to take him?
Horse-Shoe Robinson | John Pendleton Kennedy
British Dictionary definitions for shillyshally
/ (ˈʃɪlɪˌʃælɪ) informal /
(intr) to be indecisive, esp over unimportant matters; hesitate
in an indecisive manner
indecisive or hesitant
indecision or hesitation; vacillation
Origin of shillyshally
1Derived forms of shillyshally
- shillyshallier, 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
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