vacillation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of vacillating.
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a state of indecision or irresolution.
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unsteady movement; fluctuation.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vacillation
1350–1400; Middle English vacillacion < Latin vacillātiōn- (stem of vacillātiō ) a swaying. See vacillate, -ion
Explanation
Vacillation is when you constantly change your opinion. It also refers to swinging back and forth physically. Both meanings of vacillation involve moving back and forth in some way. The first sense is what happens when a person is wishy-washy. If you want to go to a movie, then say you don’t, then say you do after all, that’s an example of vacillation. Politicians who flip-flop are known for their vacillation because they constantly change their opinions. Also, something that is swinging or swaying in the wind is vacillating, so the movement is a vacillation.
Vocabulary lists containing vacillation
"The Palace Thief" by Ethan Canin
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Spoon River Anthology
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David Copperfield
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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.
In Rushdie's hands, and with only a few seconds to think about it, Hamlet became The Elsinore Vacillation.
From Slate • Aug. 20, 2012
Yes, that one, the one which if it were a Robert Ludlum thriller would have to be called The Elsinore Vacillation.
From The Guardian • Jul. 21, 2012
Vacillation, the attempt to combine contradictory drives, has been the pattern.
From Time Magazine Archive
Vacillation and appeasement were evident in many of his actions .
From Time Magazine Archive
Vacillation and doubt are poison to the nerves.
From Keeping Fit All the Way by Camp, Walter
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
