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THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY

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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Examples in context

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.

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Related meanings

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Vocabulary Studio 64: Upshot to veracityReading 1 / Open lesson

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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.

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.
About this entry

This entry is part of the vocabulary collection supplied by GlobalRPh. Definitions are concise study meanings. Examples combine original teaching sentences with selected passages adapted from the supplied study notes; their source is labeled beside each example. A word may have additional specialized or historical senses.

Term requested in the October 5, 2026 supplied word list. Definition, alternatives and examples authored for WordCraft; WordNet senses and targeted dictionary checks inform the lexical review.

Source study sections: October 2026 additions.

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

WordNet 3.0 lexical database

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