What is another word for hesitate?

Synonyms for hesitate
ˈhɛz ɪˌteɪthes·i·tate

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word hesitate.

Wiktionary3.5 / 2 votes

  1. hesitateverb

    Synonyms:
    stammer, doubt, scruple, demur, falter, waver, mammer, deliberate

  2. hesitateverb

    To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.

    Synonyms:
    mammer, deliberate, demur, scruple, falter, stammer, waver, doubt

  3. hesitateverb

    To stammer; to falter in speaking.

    Synonyms:
    deliberate, mammer, scruple, demur, waver, stammer, falter, doubt

  4. hesitateverb

    To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.

    Synonyms:
    mammer, stammer, waver, deliberate, demur, doubt, falter, scruple

English Synonyms and Antonyms5.0 / 1 vote

  1. hesitate

    To fluctuate (Latin fluctus, a wave) is to move like a wave with alternate rise and fall. A pendulum oscillates; waves fluctuate or undulate; a light or a flame wavers; a frightened steed swerves from his course; a tool or weapon swerves from the mark or line; the temperature varies; the wind veers when it suddenly changes its direction. That which veers may steadily hold the new direction; that which oscillates, fluctuates, undulates, or wavers returns upon its way. As regards mental states, he who hesitates sticks (Latin hærere) on the verge of decision; he who wavers does not stick to a decision; he who vacillates decides now one way, and now another; one vacillates between contrasted decisions or actions; he may waver between decision and indecision, or between action and inaction. Persons hesitate, vacillate, waver; feelings fluctuate or vary. Compare SHAKE.

    Synonyms:
    fluctuate, oscillate, swerve, undulate, vacillate, vary, veer, waver

    Antonyms:
    abide, adhere, hold fast, persist, stand fast, stay, stick

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms3.5 / 2 votes

  1. hesitate

    Synonyms:
    dubitate, waver, demur, scruple, falter, stammer, pause, doubt

    Antonyms:
    decide, determine, run, flow, career

Princeton's WordNet5.0 / 1 vote

  1. hesitate, waver, waffleverb

    pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

    "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures"

    Synonyms:
    waver, quaver, fluctuate, waffle, weave, quiver, pause, flutter, flicker, flitter, falter, vacillate

  2. hesitate, pauseverb

    interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

    "The speaker paused"

    Synonyms:
    waver, break, pause, intermit, waffle

Matched Categories

Dictionary of English Synonymes0.0 / 0 votes

  1. hesitateverb

    Synonyms:
    pause, delay, demur, doubt, waver, vacillate, be undetermined, stop to consider, be in doubt, be in suspense, be doubtful

  2. hesitateverb

    Synonyms:
    falter, stammer, have an impediment in speech

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words0.0 / 0 votes

  1. hesitateverb

    Synonyms:
    doubt, vacillate, falter, dubitate, waver, scruple, demur, deliberate

PPDB, the paraphrase database0.0 / 0 votes

  1. List of paraphrases for "hesitate":

    waver, dither

How to pronounce hesitate?

How to say hesitate in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#1618break
#3558vary
#3643doubt
#10611pause
#12724hesitate
#15634deliberate
#17716weave
#23670waffle
#29664flicker
#35564fluctuate
#37891flutter
#40610veer
#43658quiver
#56544falter
#60871swerve
#64040waver
#75259dither
#76976oscillate
#106648stammer
#120240scruple
#157222demur
#189583flitter
#204476undulate
#236377quaver
#241885vacillate
#318728intermit

How to use hesitate in a sentence?

  1. The FBI:

    At this time, there is no specific or credible threat to the United States. We will not hesitate to adjust our security posture, as appropriate, to protect the American people, dHS and the FBI routinely share information with our state, local, federal and international law enforcement, intelligence and homeland security partners, and continually evaluate the level of protection we provide at federal facilities.

  2. Le Maire:

    This is the moment of truth for the Franco-German relationship, the hour of reckoning for the future of the euro zone, either in the next few hours the president and the chancellor reach an agreement and accomplish a significant step in strengthening the euro zone. Or they are unable to and we will return, and I don't hesitate to say so, to turbulent times for the euro zone and for the European Union more widely.

  3. Bille Lourd:

    It was brutal. It was really, really brutal, and I still hesitate and stutter because it’s really hard for me.

  4. Jeremy Farrar:

    We can't predict how the outbreak will progress, and the WHO must keep the situation under frequent review and not hesitate to declare a PHEIC if the situation shows signs of deteriorating.

  5. Anthony Bourdain:

    Something was missing in me, whether it was a self-image situation, whether it was a character flaw... some dark genie inside me -- that I very much hesitate to call a disease -- that led me to dope.


Translations for hesitate

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for hesitate »

Translation

Find a translation for the hesitate synonym in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"hesitate." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/hesitate>.

Discuss these hesitate synonyms with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good synonym for hesitate?

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant synonyms for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant synonyms for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Synonyms.com

    Quiz

    Are you a human thesaurus?

    »
    An antonym for "disparage"
    A diminish
    B belittle
    C minimize
    D blandish

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for hesitate: