hesitate

verb

(intransitive) To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.

(intransitive) To stammer; to falter in speaking.

(transitive, poetic, rare) To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.

Roots

haesitarehesit- · Latin · to stick, hesitate

Synonyms for hesitate

waverv vacillatev falterv pausen flinchv demurv equivocatev dithern tergiversatev temporizev

Synonyms & related words for hesitate

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of hesitate — including waver, vacillate, falter, pause, flinch, demur. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to hesitate

Explore words related to hesitate — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include hesitant, hesitation, hesitance, vacillatory, vacillator, hesitancy, vacillation, scrupling. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for hesitate

Common synonyms for hesitate include waver, vacillate, falter, pause, flinch, demur, equivocate, dither — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does hesitate come from?

The word hesitate breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root hesit-, from Latin haesitare (“to stick, hesitate”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.