vacillate
verb (used without object)
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
vacillated
-
past participleof vacillate.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof vacillate.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
vacillateverb (used without object)to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
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.
And yet, at a 2017 meeting with Xi, Trump vacillated, telling the Chinese leader he could “deal with” the Taiwan issue in “a matter of months,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Instead, I vacillated between forgetting all about cancer some days and feeling like death was imminent others, and it was hard to predict what would prompt either extreme.
From Slate ● May 6, 2026
Washington has vacillated between pressing Europe to hit China with tariffs to cutting its own deals with Beijing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
His children, Kelly and Jack, vacillated between showering him with affection and berating him for not catering to their whims.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2025
My love for him vacillated from one entry to another.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
