SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
vacillation
noun
Repeated wavering between choices or opinions.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Repeated indecision
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topVacillation involves shifting between choices. Ambivalence involves mixed feelings and can exist without repeated changes in decision.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See vacillation in use
Weeks of vacillation delayed the launch of the journal.
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.
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