Showing results for "wavering"

• present participle of waver.

wavering

American  

[wey-ver-ing] / ˈweɪ vər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. fluttering, swaying to and fro, tottering, or reeling.

   To make things more bearable, he imagined she was close by—just beyond that wavering curtain.

   The two stumbling cousins came to a wavering halt, leaning on each other.

2. flickering or quivering, as light.

   In the wavering light of the torch, the old warrior's face showed fond concern.

3. becoming unsteady; beginning to fail or give way.

   It wasn’t just the physical pain I suffered, it was the loss of self, the wavering sense of identity.

4. shaking or trembling, as the hands or voice.

   "Our thoughts are with our colleague’s family, friends, and loved ones," said the anchorman with a wavering voice.

5. feeling or showing doubt, indecision, etc.; vacillating.

   The disciplined mind is strong and effective, while the constantly wavering mind is weak and ineffective.

6. fluctuating or varying.

   The participants braved the wavering March weather for an engaging and action-packed day.

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noun

waverings plural

1. the act or condition of becoming unsteady, vacillating, faltering, or fluctuating.

   Any wavering of attention is very likely to result in an error.

2. the act or condition of flickering, swaying, tottering, or fluttering.

   There was a wavering in the cracked screen.

3. the act or condition of shaking or trembling, as the hands or voice.

   Her fear began to manifest itself in a minute trembling of her hand and a slight wavering of her voice.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonwavering
  adjective
• unwavering
  adjective
• unwaveringly
  adverb
• waveringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• waverings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wavering

First recorded in 1350–1400; waver ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; waver ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wavering waverings

And in this strict social classification - known as songbun – the jjaepo belong to the "wavering class", somewhere between the core and hostile classes.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

The pioneering crypto’s sharp reversal signals a now increasing appetite for risk, with traditional safe-haven assets wavering.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026

France is expected to continue posting one of the eurozone’s lowest inflation rates, with consumer prices seen wavering between 1% and 1.5% in the coming months, ING economist Charlotte de Montpellier said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

Stocks are wavering into the final trading days of the year, and the hoped-for December rally has yet to materialize as the S&P 500 and the tech-focused Nasdaq remain in negative territory for the month.

From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025

The curtains are still wavering in the small wind, the sun outside is still shining, though not in through the window directly.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Green waverings play on the high gray stone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2013

Unruffled by blasts from Buenos Aires' Luna Park and the University of Chicago's Midway, unshaken by waverings and defections in the ranks of his own followers.

From Time Magazine Archive

In Nehru's own waverings and hesitations these past weeks, his most determined opponents have been the Indian press and Indian students.

From Time Magazine Archive

If there were any waverings within the military leadership after the U.S. decision, they failed to show.

From Time Magazine Archive

Had it been allowable entertainment, had there been no pain to her friend, or reproach to herself, in the waverings of Harriet’s mind, Emma would have been amused by its variations.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

Related Words

• undecided