Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

shilly-shally

American  
[shil-ee-shal-ee] / ˈʃɪl iˌʃæl i /

verb (used without object)

shilly-shallied, shilly-shallying
  1. to show indecision or hesitation; be irresolute; vacillate.

  2. to waste time; dawdle.


noun

shilly-shallies plural
  1. irresolution; indecision; vacillation.

    It was sheer shilly-shally on his part.

adverb

  1. irresolutely.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of shilly-shally

First recorded in 1690–1700; originally repeated question, shall I? shall I?; later altered on the model of its synonym dilly-dally

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.

He did not shilly-shally in welcoming the crowd.

From New York Times • May 18, 2010

For George Norris on the stump does not shilly-shally about getting himself elected.

From Time Magazine Archive

Whenever the German army fell into a dangerous, disorganized or shilly-shally state, we always looked for the skillful hand of .

From Time Magazine Archive

As matters stood, to drag her thence by violence would never do, for shilly-shally Clovis would turn restive.

From The Maid of Honour, Volume 2 (of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Wingfield, Lewis

"Can I help it if they dally and shilly-shally until our patience is worn out?" asked the young Deputy vehemently.

From Success and How He Won It by Werner, E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers)

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "shilly-shally" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com