vacillation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of vacillating. vacillating.
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a state of indecision or irresolution.
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unsteady movement; fluctuation.
Other Word Forms
- nonvacillation noun
Etymology
Origin of vacillation
1350–1400; Middle English vacillacion < Latin vacillātiōn- (stem of vacillātiō ) a swaying. See vacillate, -ion
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.
Lois’ reticence about him mirrors our own vacillation with the DC Universe’s new direction: We need to see something more from this guy before we commit.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2025
Economists now blame that vacillation for how ingrained inflation became, and how much pain the central bank had to inflict in the 1980s to finally wrestle price increases under control.
From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2022
He quit the leadership of the party in July 2019 after months of vacillation but remains a hugely influential figure within the Congress, a fact that Azad said had stalled any significant internal reforms.
From Reuters • Aug. 26, 2022
Oh's controlled vacillation between effervescent wit and warmth and frantic frustration in each episode make Ji-Yoon a solid navigator through this morass.
From Salon • Aug. 20, 2021
As to prescription, there is a very characteristic vacillation in our sources.
From Villainage in England Essays in English Mediaeval History by Vinogradoff, Paul
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.
