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View synonyms for hesitation

hesitation

[ hez-i-tey-shuhn ]

noun

  1. the act of hesitating; a delay due to uncertainty of mind or fear:

    His hesitation cost him the championship.

  2. a state of doubt or uncertainty.

    Synonyms: vacillation, irresolution, indecision, hesitancy

  3. a halting or faltering in speech.

    Synonyms: stammer



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Other Words From

  • prehes·i·tation noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hesitation1

First recorded in 1615–25, hesitation is from the Latin word haesitātiōn- (stem of haesitātiō ). See hesitate, -ion

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Example Sentences

I ask about sex and drinking and drugs, routinely and without hesitation.

When Malloy is asked what the hardest part of the last four years has been, he says without hesitation, “Sandy Hook.”

He admitted responsibility without hesitation, and in meticulous, grisly detail.

“Hesitation and half steps have consequences as well—and those remain to be determined,” Panetta said.

“There was a lot of hesitation from Joselito to really trust me,” Miller said.

Austria's fall was due to the lethargy and hesitation of the courts of Berlin and St. Petersburg.

You have, year after year, without the slightest hesitation or remorse, sucked its life-blood from it.

A muffled sound of voices became audible, and Irvin, following a moment of hesitation, crossed and opened the door.

With little hesitation she did so, in view of the immensely superior force displayed.

Ultimately, finding the Emperor's cause in the ascendant, he cast aside hesitation and threw in his lot with him.

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