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SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

vacillate

verb

To waver between choices or positions.

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Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.

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A useful distinction

Alternatives apply to the displayed meaning. Related wording may differ in tone or grammar and is not always interchangeable.

To waver between choices or positions

Closest synonyms

waver

Related words and expressions

hesitateoscillate

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Alternatives apply to the displayed meaning. Related wording may differ in tone or grammar and is not always interchangeable.

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RELATED FORMS, ONE FEATURED ENTRY

The vacillate family

These forms are closely related, but their grammar and use are not identical. Expand a form to compare its meaning and examples.

vacillationnoun

Repeated wavering between choices or opinions.

Repeated indecision

Closest synonyms

waveringindecisionhesitationirresolutionfluctuation

Related expressions

ambivalenceuncertaintygoing back and forth
Weeks of vacillation delayed the launch of the journal.
Dictionary practice example.
Selecting a title for their reading group produced some hesitancy because members were unsure how the name would sound to newcomers. One organizer's indecisiveness extended beyond that specific concern: she struggled to settle even minor choices after the relevant information was available. Her vacillation between two titles continued through several meetings, with each new preference reversing the previous one.
From When Delays Become the Problem.
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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

See vacillate in use

He continued to vacillate between the two proposals.
Dictionary practice example.
The committee could not afford to vacillate indefinitely.
From Vocabulary Studio 64: Upshot to veracity.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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