Nearby Words
verb (used without object)
1.
to sway to and fro; flutter: Foliage wavers in the breeze.
2.
to flicker or quiver, as light: A distant beam wavered and then disappeared.
3.
become unsteady; begin to fail or give way: When she heard the news her courage wavered.
4.
to shake or tremble, as the hands or voice: Her voice wavered.
5.
EXPANDto feel or show doubt, indecision, etc.; vacillate: He wavered in his determination.
6.
(of things) to fluctuate or vary: Prices wavered.
7.
COLLAPSEto totter or reel: The earth quaked and the tower wavered.
noun
8.
an act of wavering, fluttering, or vacillating.
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Wavering
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English (see wave, -er6); cognate with dialectal German wabern to move about, Old Norse vafra to toddle
1275–1325; Middle English (see wave, -er6); cognate with dialectal German wabern to move about, Old Norse vafra to toddle
Related forms
wa·ver·er, noun
wa·ver·ing·ly, adverb
non·wa·ver·ing, adjective
un·wa·vered, adjective
un·wa·ver·ing, adjective
EXPANDun·wa·ver·ing·ly, adverb
COLLAPSESynonyms
4. quiver. 5. Waver, fluctuate, vacillate refer to an alternation or hesitation between one direction and another. Waver means to hesitate between choices: to waver between two courses of action. Fluctuate suggests irregular change from one side to the other or up and down: The prices of stocks fluctuate when there is bad news followed by good. Vacillate is to make up one's mind and change it again suddenly; to be undecided as to what to do: We must not vacillate but must set a day.
4. quiver. 5. Waver, fluctuate, vacillate refer to an alternation or hesitation between one direction and another. Waver means to hesitate between choices: to waver between two courses of action. Fluctuate suggests irregular change from one side to the other or up and down: The prices of stocks fluctuate when there is bad news followed by good. Vacillate is to make up one's mind and change it again suddenly; to be undecided as to what to do: We must not vacillate but must set a day.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To wavering
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
waver
c.1280, weyveren, "to show indecision," probably related to O.E. wæfre "restless, wavering," from P.Gmc. *wæbraz (cf. M.H.G. wabern "to waver," O.N. vafra "to hover about"), a frequentative form from the root of wave (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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