haltingly
In broken speech
Haltingly describes action that stops and starts, proceeding with hesitation or uncertainty.
Someone speaking haltingly pauses frequently, searching for words: She haltingly described what she had witnessed.
Movement can be halting too—stumbling, interrupted, lacking smooth flow.
The word suggests difficulty or reluctance rather than deliberate pacing.
Involuntary speech disfluency
- stammeringInvoluntary speech repetition
- falteringBecoming unsteady or weak
- hesitantSlow to act
- stumblingWalking clumsily, almost falling
broken · choppy · disjointed · fragmented · interrupted · jerky · stilted · uneven
In a retiring manner
- nervouslyIn an anxious manner
- bashfullyIn a shy manner
- meeklyIn docile manner
- diffidentlyWith self-doubt
self-consciously · apprehensively · timorously · reticently · hesitantly · fearfully · anxiously · tremblingly
Slow to act
- tentativeUncertain and provisional
- unsureLacking confidence or certainty
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- falteringBecoming unsteady or weak
indecisive · doubtful · vacillating · equivocating · ambivalent · irresolute · undecided · questioning
Requiring great exertion
- strugglingExperiencing serious difficulty
- effortfulRequiring significant exertion
- strainedUnder uncomfortable tension
- arduousDemanding strenuous effort
painful · forced · impeded · hampered · obstructed · hindered · encumbered · plodding
stuttering
Involuntary speech disfluency
- stammeringInvoluntary speech repetition
- falteringBecoming unsteady or weak
- hesitantSlow to act
stumbling · broken · choppy · disjointed · fragmented · interrupted · jerky · stilted · uneven · pausing
shyly
In a retiring manner
diffidently · self-consciously · apprehensively · timorously · reticently · hesitantly · fearfully · anxiously · tremblingly · awkwardly
hesitant
Slow to act
- tentativeUncertain and provisional
- unsureLacking confidence or certainty
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
faltering · indecisive · doubtful · vacillating · equivocating · ambivalent · irresolute · undecided · questioning · groping
labored
Requiring great exertion
- strugglingExperiencing serious difficulty
- effortfulRequiring significant exertion
- strainedUnder uncomfortable tension
arduous · painful · forced · impeded · hampered · obstructed · hindered · encumbered · plodding · limping
haltinglyfluently
With seamless verbal ease
smoothly · flowingly · fluidly · seamlessly · effortlessly
haltinglyconfidently
With self-assurance
assuredly · decisively · boldly · unhesitatingly · assertively
- halting speechInterrupted, uneven talking