faltering
Starting to stumble
Faltering describes movement, speech, or effort that is unsteady, hesitant, or losing momentum.
A faltering step suggests physical weakness or uncertainty; a faltering voice breaks with emotion or doubt.
The word implies something once steady now struggling to continue: The economy showed faltering growth.
Her faltering confidence made the presentation difficult.
Pause in uncertainty
- waverHesitate or fluctuate
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- vacillateWaver between choices
- ditherNervous inability to choose
tentative · indecisive · unsure · second-guess · equivocate · shilly-shally · stall · teeter
Lose footing momentarily
- staggerWalk unsteadily, sway
- lurchAbrupt unsteady movement
- tripPlanned travel somewhere
- wobbleUnsteady side-to-side motion
totter · unsteady · shaky · trembling · quivering · swaying · shambling · tottering
Involuntary speech repetition
- stutteringInvoluntary speech disfluency
- haltingMarked by hesitation
- brokenDamaged beyond function
- choppyBroken into waves
stumbling · mumbling · garbled · inarticulate · tongue-tied · hesitant · nervous · tremulous
hesitate
Pause in uncertainty
dither · tentative · indecisive · unsure · second-guess · equivocate · shilly-shally · stall · teeter · irresolute
stumble
Lose footing momentarily
wobble · totter · unsteady · shaky · trembling · quivering · swaying · shambling · tottering · limping
stammering
Involuntary speech repetition
- stutteringInvoluntary speech disfluency
- haltingMarked by hesitation
- brokenDamaged beyond function
choppy · stumbling · mumbling · garbled · inarticulate · tongue-tied · hesitant · nervous · tremulous · quavering
weakening
Becoming less strong
- fadingGradual loss of intensity
- waningGradually decreasing in intensity
- flaggingLosing vigor progressively
failing · deteriorating · ebbing · slipping · dwindling · declining · dimming · sinking · drooping · wilting
- declinesdrop, decline, downtrend, downturn, downfall
- decliningdeclining, waning, fading, diminishing, decreasing
- hesitatingpausing, stalling, wavering, delaying, dithering
- setbacksfailing, back to square one, stuck, losing, stumbles
- slowing downbraking, brakes, crawl, coasts, creep
- speechlessspeechless, mute, wordless, tongue-tied, dumbstruck
falteringsteady
Fixed, not fluctuating
unwavering · unfaltering · stable · even · consistent