vacillation

[ vas-uh-ley-shuhn ]

/ ˌvæs əˈleɪ ʃən /

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See synonyms for vacillation on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act or instance of vacillating.

a state of indecision or irresolution.

unsteady movement; fluctuation.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of vacillation

1350–1400; Middle English vacillacion<Latin vacillātiōn- (stem of vacillātiō) a swaying. See vacillate, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM vacillation

non·vac·il·la·tion, noun

Words nearby vacillation

Vachel, Vacherin, vacillant, vacillate, vacillating, vacillation, vacillator, vacillatory, vacua, vacuity, vacuolate

How to use vacillation in a sentence

Cameras and laser-based detectors mounted on the ceiling capture and quantify those pauses and vacillations.
Has the fountain of youth been in our blood all along?|Kat McGowan|September 28, 2021|Popular-Science
After some vacillation, I decided to include the translation at the very end of the entry, especially because, as a runner-up, it appeared near the top of the list of more than 30 entries.
Style Conversational Week 1419: A smile for the Capitol?|Pat Myers|January 14, 2021|Washington Post
On the other hand, the vacillation in policy and the policy uncertainty is unsettling, just like it would be for employees in a company.
Does the President Matter as Much as You Think? (Ep. 404)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 6, 2020|Freakonomics
He also could blame the downturn on the vacillation of authorities—and politics.
Will Bangkok's Floods Swamp the Government?|Lennox Samuels|October 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST

At the Pentagon, which bears the brunt of much of this hesitation and vacillation, the mood is one of not-so-quiet desperation.
Obama's Middle East Head Spin|Christopher Dickey, John Barry|April 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Paul Krugman of The New York Times is convinced that the president's weakness and vacillation are to blame.
Be More Like Teddy|Reihan Salam|August 26, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Before parliament was prorogued the weakness and vacillation of the ministry had been very apparent.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
He was generally a man of prompt decision, and he well knew that he would incur by this act the charge of vacillation.
Eric, or Little by Little|Frederic W. Farrar
All this vacillation harmonised with the foreign and domestic policy of Sir Robert Peel, under whose instructions he acted.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
At Erfurt the same vacillation overmastered Napoleon (p. 181) as that with which he had been tormented since Tilsit.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane
Again, the vacillation of the ministry defeated the expedition against Canada.
A short history of Rhode Island|George Washington Greene