hesitate
English · Thesaurus
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hesitate
- /ˈhɛz.ɪ.teɪt/ UK
- /ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/ US
- /ˈhez.ə.tæɪt/ Australia
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Latin haesitātus, perfect passive participle of haesitō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), intensive of haereō (“to hesitate, stick fast; to hang or hold fast”). Displaced native Old English wandian. Compare French hésiter.
verb hesitates · hesitating · hesitated · hæsitate
-
To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
He hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment.
Similar: demur
-
To stammer; to falter in speaking.
Similar: balbucinate, balbutiate, falter, hem, haw, stammer, stutter, stumble
-
To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.
Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.
Similar: falter
Similar: falter, mammer, scruple, waver, boggle, wobble, deliberate, halt, waffle, dither, hesitate, hover, stand shilly-shally, stick, swither · Opposite: damn the torpedoes, decide, brazen, grasp the nettle, go big or go home, resolve, shoot first and ask questions later, shoot from the hip, shoot from the lip, shoot one's mouth off
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: waver, pause, vacillate, falter, shy, doubt, procrastinate, delay, shrink, dither, please, blink, dude, scruple, teeter, hem
verb
Similar: falter, mammer, scruple, waver, boggle, wobble, deliberate, halt, waffle, dither, hesitate, hover, stand shilly-shally, stick, swither · Opposite: damn the torpedoes, decide, brazen, grasp the nettle, go big or go home, resolve, shoot first and ask questions later, shoot from the hip, shoot from the lip, shoot one's mouth off
Translations
Every language
verb to stop or pause respecting decision or action
| Español | vacilar, dudar, hesitar, titubear |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 망설이다 mangseorida |
| 日本語 | ためらう tamerau, 躊躇する chūcho suru, 躊躇う tamerau |
| 中文 | 猶豫 /犹豫 yóuyù, 躊躇 /踌躇 chóuchú, 遲疑 /迟疑 chíyí |
| Português | hesitar, vacilar, titubear |
| Français | hésiter |
| Deutsch | zögern |
| Italiano | esitare, titubare |
| Ελληνικά | διστάζω distázo |
| Română | ezita, șovăi, pregeta, a se codi |
| Русский | колеба́ться kolebátʹsja, ме́длить médlitʹ, сомнева́ться somnevátʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | chần chừ, do dự |
| العربية | تَرَدَّدَ taraddada |
| עברית | היסס hisés |
verb to stammer; to falter in speaking
| Français | hésiter |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | zögern, stammeln |
| Русский | запина́ться zapinátʹsja, запну́ться zapnútʹsja, заика́ться zaikátʹsja, заикну́ться zaiknútʹsja |
Talk about this word "hesitate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hesitate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hesitate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hesitate "hesitate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hesitate.Cite this
@misc{hesitate_2026,
title = {hesitate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hesitate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
