vacillate
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin vacillātum, supine form of vacillō (“sway, waver”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
vacillate (third-person singular simple present vacillates, present participle vacillating, simple past and past participle vacillated)
- (intransitive) To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.
- 1910: Jack London, The Heathen
- Its [the barometer's] normal register in the Paumotus [the Tuamotus] was 29.90, and it was quite customary to see it vacillate between 29.85 and 30.00, or even 30.05; [...]
- 1910: Jack London, The Heathen
- (intransitive) To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
- 2004: Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage
- On the streets of Berlin, Ruth and her compatriots vacillated "between hope and despair."
- 2004: Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage
Synonyms[edit]
- (to sway from one side to the other): stagger
- (to swing indecisively): blow hot and cold, waffle
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to sway unsteadily from one side to the other
to swing from one course of action or opinion to another
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to be changeable, or inconsistent in speech or action
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
External links[edit]
- vacillate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- vacillate in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- vacillate at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams[edit]
Italian[edit]
Verb[edit]
vacillate
- second-person plural present indicative of vacillare
- second-person plural imperative of vacillare
- Feminine plural of vacillato
Anagrams[edit]
Latin[edit]
Verb[edit]
vacillāte
- first-person plural present active imperative of vacillō
