shilly-shally

[ shil-ee-shal-ee ]

/ ˈʃɪl iˌʃæl i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shilly-shally ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), shil·ly-shal·lied, shil·ly-shal·ly·ing.

to show indecision or hesitation; be irresolute; vacillate.

to waste time; dawdle.

noun, plural shil·ly-shal·lies.

irresolution; indecision; vacillation: It was sheer shilly-shally on his part.

adjective

irresolute; undecided; vacillating.

adverb

irresolutely.

Nearby words

shillelagh, shilling, shilling mark, shillong, shilluk, shilly-shally, shillyshally, shiloh, shilpit, shily, shim

Origin of shilly-shally

1690–1700; orig. repeated question, shall I? shall I? later altered on the model of its synonym dilly-dally

Related forms

shil·ly-shal·li·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shillyshally

You've got to shillyshally, and then you've got to go it blind.
April Hopes|William Dean Howells
Then a lot of shillyshally usually followed, Tom for and Dick and Harry against.
Ulysses|James Joyce

British Dictionary definitions for shillyshally

shillyshally

/ (ˈʃɪlɪˌʃælɪ) informal /

verb -lies, -lying or -lied

(intr) to be indecisive, esp over unimportant matters; hesitate

adverb

in an indecisive manner

adjective

indecisive or hesitant

noun plural -lies

indecision or hesitation; vacillation

Derived Forms

shillyshallier, noun

Word Origin for shillyshally

C18: from shill I shall I, by reduplication of shall I

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