incertitude
State of unsureness
Incertitude is a somewhat formal or literary word for uncertainty or doubt.
It describes a state of not knowing or being unsure about something, whether regarding facts, outcomes, or one's own feelings.
The incertitude of the election results kept everyone on edge.
While uncertainty is far more common in everyday speech, incertitude appears in philosophical, literary, and academic contexts where a more elevated register is desired.
Inability to choose
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- tentativenessState of being uncertain
- ditheringProlonged indecisive hesitation
- irresolutionLack of firm decision
second-guessing · shilly-shallying · faltering · equivocation · oscillation · fence-sitting · waffling · ambivalence
Absence of precision
- obscurityState of being unknown
- murkinessDimness, lack of clarity
- hazinessState of being unclear
- nebulousnessQuality of being indistinct
indistinctness · equivocation · opacity · indefiniteness · imprecision · fuzziness · cloudiness · unclearness
Disposition toward doubt
- misgivingsFeelings of doubt
- distrustAbsence of confidence
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
incredulity · disbelief · wariness · qualm · reservation · apprehension · cynicism · dubiety
Rapid, unpredictable changeability
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
- precariousnessState of uncertain stability
- variabilityTendency to change
- chancinessQuality of uncertain outcome
randomness · unreliability · capriciousness · fickleness · flux · mutability · transience · impermanence
vacillation
Inability to choose
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- tentativenessState of being uncertain
- ditheringProlonged indecisive hesitation
irresolution · second-guessing · shilly-shallying · faltering · equivocation · oscillation · fence-sitting · waffling · ambivalence · inconstancy
vagueness
Absence of precision
nebulousness · indistinctness · equivocation · opacity · indefiniteness · imprecision · fuzziness · cloudiness · unclearness · blurriness
skepticism
Disposition toward doubt
- misgivingsFeelings of doubt
- distrustAbsence of confidence
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
questioning · incredulity · disbelief · wariness · qualm · reservation · apprehension · cynicism · dubiety · mistrust
volatility
Rapid, unpredictable changeability
- instabilityTendency toward unpredictable change
- precariousnessState of uncertain stability
- variabilityTendency to change
chanciness · randomness · unreliability · capriciousness · fickleness · flux · mutability · transience · impermanence · unforeseeable
- doubtdoubt, doubts, doubting, doubtful, skepticism
incertitudecertainty
Total absence of doubt
certitude · sureness · surety · conviction · confidence
certain, uncertain, uncertainty, certainty, insecurity, ascertain, certificate, indecision, certify