shilly-shally
Waver without deciding
Shilly-shally means to be indecisive, to waver or vacillate when action is needed: Stop shilly-shallying and make up your mind.
The word suggests annoying hesitation rather than thoughtful deliberation.
It works as a verb, noun, or adjective: All this shilly-shallying is wasting time, a shilly-shally approach to leadership.
Hesitate or fluctuate
- ditherNervous inability to choose
- hem and hawSpeak evasively, delay deciding
- equivocateSpeak vaguely to mislead
- falterLose momentum or steadiness
teeter · oscillate · balk · demur · pause · hover · fluctuate · scruple
Delay action unnecessarily
- dallyLoiter without purpose
- dawdleLinger without purpose
- stallEnclosed compartment or delay
- drag one's feetDeliberately slow progress
tarry · linger · put off · postpone · defer · temporize · lag · idle
Lacking firmness of purpose
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- uncertainNot firmly known
- undecidedNot having chosen
- ambivalentHaving contradictory feelings
noncommittal · tentative · uncommitted · unsure · doubtful · hesitant · of two minds · on the fence
Deceptive scheme or nonsense
- fiddle-faddleTrivial nonsense or fussing
- pitter-patterLight rapid tapping sound
- teeter-totterPivoting playground board
- seesawPivoting playground plank
flip-flop · hemming and hawing · back-and-forth · to-and-fro
waver
Hesitate or fluctuate
- ditherNervous inability to choose
- hem and hawSpeak evasively, delay deciding
- equivocateSpeak vaguely to mislead
falter · teeter · oscillate · balk · demur · pause · hover · fluctuate · scruple · hang back
procrastinate
Delay action unnecessarily
drag one's feet · tarry · linger · put off · postpone · defer · temporize · lag · idle · loiter
irresolute
Lacking firmness of purpose
ambivalent · noncommittal · tentative · uncommitted · unsure · doubtful · hesitant · of two minds · on the fence · torn
flimflam
Deceptive scheme or nonsense
- fiddle-faddleTrivial nonsense or fussing
- pitter-patterLight rapid tapping sound
- teeter-totterPivoting playground board
seesaw · flip-flop · hemming and hawing · back-and-forth · to-and-fro
- idlingidle, idled, loaf, loafed, laze
- Reduplicativesbye-bye, mama, papa, haha, yo-yo
- Whimsy Wordsgobbledygook, gibberish, mumbo jumbo, hogwash, balderdash
- stallingstall, stalling, delay, hesitate, procrastinate
- dawdlingdawdling, dallying, dilly-dallying, lingering, loitering
shilly-shallydecide
Reach a conclusion
resolve · resolution · commit · decisiveness · resoluteness