shilly-shallying
Constant indecisive wavering
Shilly-shallying is indecisive hesitation—wavering back and forth instead of committing to a course of action.
The word suggests irritating or time-wasting dithering: Stop your shilly-shallying and make a decision.
Someone who shilly-shallies can't seem to make up their mind, often to the frustration of others waiting on them.
Swaying between choices
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- equivocatingSpeaking with deliberate ambiguity
- irresoluteLacking firmness of purpose
- undecidedNot having chosen
unsure · fence-sitting · noncommittal · torn · conflicted · ambivalent · hemming and hawing · oscillating
Postponing what needs doing
- stallingIntentional delay tactics
- foot-draggingDeliberate slowness or resistance
- postponingRescheduling for later
- deferringPostponing or yielding respectfully
dragging feet · time-wasting · putting off · delaying · prolonging · temporizing · holding back · hedging
Purposeless public lingering
- lingeringRemaining beyond expected duration
- lollygaggingAimless time-wasting
- dallyingIdling without purpose
- idlingOperating without working
pottering · moseying · tarrying · lagging · meandering · trifling · frittering · piddling
vacillating
Swaying between choices
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- equivocatingSpeaking with deliberate ambiguity
- irresoluteLacking firmness of purpose
undecided · unsure · fence-sitting · noncommittal · torn · conflicted · ambivalent · hemming and hawing · oscillating · teetering
procrastinating
Postponing what needs doing
- stallingIntentional delay tactics
- foot-draggingDeliberate slowness or resistance
- postponingRescheduling for later
deferring · dragging feet · time-wasting · putting off · delaying · prolonging · temporizing · holding back · hedging · playing for time
loitering
Purposeless public lingering
- lingeringRemaining beyond expected duration
- lollygaggingAimless time-wasting
- dallyingIdling without purpose
idling · pottering · moseying · tarrying · lagging · meandering · trifling · frittering · piddling · faffing
- changeabilityvariability, mutability, fickleness, inconstancy, instability
- stallingstall, stalling, delay, hesitate, procrastinate
- half-heartednesslukewarmness, tepidness, token effort, unenthusiasm, going through motions
shilly-shallyingdecisiveness
Ability to choose firmly
resolute · decisive · determined · confident · unhesitating
shilly-shallyingacting
Temporarily holding position
doing · taking action · forging ahead · plunging in · diving in
shilly-shallyingacting
Temporarily holding position
taking action · forging ahead · plunging in · diving in · pushing ahead