vacillating

[vas-uh-ley-ting]

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adjective

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

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

Synonyms for vacillating

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1. See fickle.

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

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 vacillating

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

Examples from the Web for vacillating

Contemporary Examples of vacillating

Vacillating between silly and serious, the talk with Ansari is interrupted several times with giggling—most of it his own.
Parks and Recreation’s Aziz Ansari Is 30 Years Old and Writing a Book About Modern Love
Abby Haglage
November 12, 2013
Vacillating and unintelligent, his actions were all guided by his mistress, Mme Bonnemain.
Top Ten Military Sex Scandals, Part Two
David Frum
November 13, 2012

Historical Examples of vacillating

Yet hitherto our star has been a vacillating and wavering star?
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
He was vacillating, but he was not so vacillating as the Ministers.
The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 10, No. 58, August, 1862
Various
O that she had your taste to guide her, and to decide my too vacillating judgment!
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
He knows the tragic failure of other movements with vacillating policies.
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
The Jew's vacillating hope was tenacious, for it was the last.
Masterpieces of Mystery
Various

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

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.