vacillate
Sway between options
To vacillate is to waver between options or opinions, unable to commit to a decision.
The word suggests not just hesitation but repeated back-and-forth movement—swinging toward one choice, then the other: She vacillated between accepting the job and staying put.
Someone who vacillates may frustrate others waiting on their decision.
Hesitate or fluctuate
- hesitatePause in uncertainty
- ditherNervous inability to choose
- equivocateSpeak vaguely to mislead
- hedgeBoundary of planted shrubs
waffle · shilly-shally · hem and haw · second-guess · flip-flop · oscillate · teeter · seesaw
Rock back and forth
- wobbleUnsteady side-to-side motion
- teeterSway without stability
- totterMove unsteadily, nearly falling
- rockSolid earthen material
oscillate · swing · reel · stagger · lurch · quiver · tremble · shake
Pulled into pieces
- conflictedEmotionally at odds
- dividedSeparated into portions
- mixed feelingsConflicting emotional responses
- uncertainNot firmly known
unsure · doubtful · indecisive · irresolute · undecided · noncommittal · tentative · equivocal
Subject to sudden changes
- mercurialProne to sudden change
- inconstantProne to fluctuation
- changeableCapable of alteration
- erraticLacking regularity or consistency
volatile · unpredictable · whimsical · flighty · mutable · variable · inconsistent · unstable
Think deeply about
- weighDetermine mass or ponder
- considerThink about carefully
- contemplateConsider something thoroughly
- mull overConsider at length
deliberate · debate · think twice · reflect · ruminate · cogitate · muse · balance
waver
Hesitate or fluctuate
- hesitatePause in uncertainty
- ditherNervous inability to choose
- equivocateSpeak vaguely to mislead
hedge · waffle · shilly-shally · hem and haw · second-guess · flip-flop · oscillate · teeter · seesaw · yo-yo
sway
Rock back and forth
rock · oscillate · swing · reel · stagger · lurch · quiver · tremble · shake · unsteady
torn
Pulled into pieces
- conflictedEmotionally at odds
- dividedSeparated into portions
- mixed feelingsConflicting emotional responses
uncertain · unsure · doubtful · indecisive · irresolute · undecided · noncommittal · tentative · equivocal · ambiguous
capricious
Subject to sudden changes
- mercurialProne to sudden change
- inconstantProne to fluctuation
- changeableCapable of alteration
erratic · volatile · unpredictable · whimsical · flighty · mutable · variable · inconsistent · unstable · protean
ponder
Think deeply about
- weighDetermine mass or ponder
- considerThink about carefully
- contemplateConsider something thoroughly
mull over · deliberate · debate · think twice · reflect · ruminate · cogitate · muse · balance · evaluate
vacillatedecide
Reach a conclusion
determine · resolve · commit · choose · make up one's mind
vacillatepersist
Continue firmly onward
persevere · stand fast · hold firm · stay the course · hold steady
vacillation, vacillating, vacillated, vacillations, vacillates, vacillators, vacillator