vacillate
verb (used without object)
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
vacillates
-
present tense formof vacillate (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
It is closer to music than epic, a mesmerizing suite of songs that conveys Tennyson’s private sorrow as he vacillates from unbearable agony to precarious hope.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
He apparently vacillates between moments of sleeping with his mouth open in a sign of utter disinterest and being jolted to stare menacingly at witnesses, the judge and other people in the courtroom.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2024
“He vacillates between being very intense and focused about his work and just really silly and fun,” Diarra Kilpatrick, who plays Paul’s wife, Clara, said in a video interview.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
But it wouldn’t be a reach to believe the NBA legend’s criticism of his portrayal in the show — as a tempestuous and profane malcontent who vacillates between anger and despair — helped boost ratings.
From Washington Post ● May 15, 2022
The imagination vacillates between a keen sense of the importance of all, even the smallest, and the worthlessness of all, even the greatest.
From Tennyson and His Friends by Various
