wavering

American

[wey-ver-ing] / ˈweɪ vər ɪŋ /

adjective

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.
flickering or quivering, as light.

In the wavering light of the torch, the old warrior's face showed fond concern.
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.
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.
feeling or showing doubt, indecision, etc.; vacillating.

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

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

noun

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

Any wavering of attention is very likely to result in an error.
the act or condition of flickering, swaying, tottering, or fluttering.

There was a wavering in the cracked screen.
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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nvidia shares were wavering despite a modest boost from its new PC chip announcement at Computex.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

Oil prices were wavering following reports of a vessel seized near Iranian waters.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

After wavering in early trading, major U.S. stock indexes were mixed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 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

In the last of the daylight flooding through the windows, she became a wavering silhouette, smudged at the edges by the steam rising from the sink.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023