wavering

[wey-ver-ing]

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.

noun

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wavering¹

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

One major problem for beleaguered bitcoin right now: investor belief is crucial for continued gains, and right now the faithful are wavering.

Read more on MarketWatch

Bernard DeVoto once tried to buck up his friend Catherine Drinker Bowen, who was wavering between a career in history and one in music.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With Russia still at war in Ukraine and the White House wavering on how far it will go to help Kyiv, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to ramp up military spending.

Read more on Barron's

With Russia still at war in Ukraine and the White House wavering on how far it will go to help Kyiv, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to ramp up military spending.

Read more on Barron's

Shares of Flutter were wavering in after-hours trading on the news, down 1% as of 5 p.m.

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Related Words

• undecided