vacillate
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vacillate
- /ˈvæ.sə.leɪt/
- /ˈvæ.sɪ.leɪt/
Where it comes from
From Latin vacillātum, supine form of vacillō (“sway, waver”). By surface analysis, Latin vacill- + -ate.
verb vacillates · vacillating · vacillated
-
To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.
Its [the barometer's] normal register in the Paumotus [the Tuamotus] was 29.90, and it was quite customary to see it vacillate between 29.85 and 30.00, or even 30.05; […]
Similar: stagger
-
To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
Courageous, patriotic, yet vacillating, many of the noblest principles and the purest intentions, men of large possessions and ancient names, under the afflicting circumstances of the times, failed to render service to their unhappy country, but involved themselves in irremediable ruin.
Similar: blow hot and cold, waffle
Translations
Every language
verb to sway unsteadily from one side to the other
| Español | vacilar, tambalear, tambalearse, trastrabillar, trastabillar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 흔들리다 heundeullida |
| 中文 | 搖擺不定 /摇摆不定 yáobǎibúdìng |
| Português | vacilar |
| Français | vaciller |
| Deutsch | schwanken |
| Italiano | vacillare, ondeggiare, oscillare, sbandare, esitare |
| Ελληνικά | ταλαντεύομαι talantévomai |
| Русский | колеба́ться kolebátʹsja, кача́ться kačátʹsja |
| العربية | تَذَبْذَبَ taḏabḏaba |
verb to swing from one course of action or opinion to another
| Español | vacilar, titubear |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 흔들리다 heundeullida |
| 中文 | 犹豫不定 |
| Português | vacilar |
| Français | hésiter |
| Deutsch | schwanken |
| Italiano | dubitare |
| Ελληνικά | ταλαντεύομαι talantévomai |
| Русский | колеба́ться kolebátʹsja |
Talk about this word "vacillate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vacillate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. vacillate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vacillate "vacillate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vacillate.Cite this
@misc{vacillate_2026,
title = {vacillate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vacillate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
