Dictionary.com
definitions

vacillating

[vas-uh-ley-ting]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vacillating ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not resolute; wavering; indecisive; hesitating: an ineffectual, vacillating person.
oscillating; swaying; fluctuating: a vacillating indicator.

RELATED WORDS

unsettled, wavering, hesitating, staggering, tottering, fluctuating, indecisive, irresolute, uncertain, unsure, vacillant, unsteady, changeable, hesitant, inconstant, tentative, undecided, volatile

Nearby words

  1. vaccinology,
  2. vachel,
  3. vacherin,
  4. vacillant,
  5. vacillate,
  6. vacillation,
  7. vacillatory,
  8. vacterl syndrome,
  9. vacua,
  10. vacuity
Also vacillant.

Origin of vacillating

First recorded in 1805–15; vacillate + -ing2
Related formsvac·il·lat·ing·ly, adverbnon·vac·il·lat·ing, adjectiveun·vac·il·lat·ing, adjective

vacillate

[vas-uh-leyt]

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

Examples from the Web for vacillating

British Dictionary definitions for vacillating

vacillating

rarely vacillant (ˈvæsɪlənt)

adjective

inclined to waver; indecisive
Derived Formsvacillatingly, adverb

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 vacillating

vacillate

v.

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper