vacillate

[vas-uh-leyt]

See more synonyms for vacillate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), vac·il·lat·ed, vac·il·lat·ing.

to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute: His tendency to vacillate makes him a poor leader.
to sway unsteadily; waver; totter; stagger.
to oscillate or fluctuate.

Origin of vacillate

1590–1600; < Latin vacillātus (past participle of vacillāre to sway to and fro); see -ate¹

Related formsvac·il·la·tor, noun

Synonyms for vacillate

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1. hesitate. See waver¹. 2. reel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for vacillate

waffle, seesaw, waver, fluctuate, dither, oscillate, hesitate, hover, reel, rock, alternate, straddle, stagger, pause, swing, hedge, sway, change, shilly-shally, whiffle

Examples from the Web for vacillate

Contemporary Examples of vacillate

I kind of self-edit that out of the history, but they did vacillate for quite a while.
David Chase on Tony Soprano’s Fate, the State of TV, and Why He Couldn’t Finish ‘True Detective’
Marlow Stern
September 4, 2014
It seems like you vacillate between 10 and 20 members at any given time.
Mother Falcon the 18-Piece Indie Symphonic Rock Band Taking Texas By Storm
Abby Haglage
June 2, 2013
Van der Sloot appears to vacillate between apologetic and aloof in his response, captured on hidden camera.
Natalee Holloway: Is the Bone in Aruba Hers?
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 19, 2010

Historical Examples of vacillate

He may pause, but he must not hesitate,—and tremble, but must not vacillate.
Modern Painters Volume II (of V)
John Ruskin
Long did he vacillate whether Tom Keane should not be arrested on suspicion.
Roland Cashel
Charles James Lever
They vacillate, conforming now to the interest of the wage-workers, now to the interest of the employers.
Socialism
John Spargo
Why do you vacillate, and keep us all in the dark as to what you mean?
Sandra Belloni, Complete
George Meredith
As if it were possible to wait now, to weigh, vacillate, hesitate!
The Death of the Gods
Dmitri Mrejkowski

British Dictionary definitions for vacillate

vacillate

verb (intr)

to fluctuate in one's opinions; be indecisive
to sway from side to side physically; totter or waver

Derived Formsvacillation, nounvacillator, noun

Word Origin for vacillate

C16: from Latin vacillāre to sway, of obscure origin

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 vacillate

1590s, "to sway unsteadily," from Latin vacillatum, from vacillare (see vacillation). Meaning "to waver between two opinions or courses" is recorded from 1620s. Related: Vacillated; vacillates; vacillating.