vacillating
[ vas-uh-ley-ting ]
/ ˈvæs əˌleɪ tɪŋ /
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
- vaccinology,
- vachel,
- vacherin,
- vacillant,
- vacillate,
- vacillation,
- vacillatory,
- vacterl syndrome,
- vacua,
- vacuity
Also vacillant.
Origin of vacillating
vacillate
[ vas-uh-leyt ]
/ ˈvæs əˌleɪt /
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
SYNONYMS FOR vacillate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for vacillating
vacillating
rarely vacillant (ˈvæsɪlənt)
/ (ˈvæsɪˌleɪtɪŋ) /
adjective
inclined to waver; indecisive
vacillate
/ (ˈvæsɪˌleɪt) /
verb (intr)
to fluctuate in one's opinions; be indecisive
to sway from side to side physically; totter or waver
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
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper