indecision

See also: indécision and indecisión

English

Etymology

From French indécision.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪʒən
• IPA^(key): /ɪndɪˈsɪʒ(ə)n/

Noun

indecision (usually uncountable, plural indecisions)

1. The inability to decide on a course of action, especially if two or more possibilities exist.

   Billy Toad has shown extreme indecision in all aspects when it comes to his jeep. Whether it's how to modify it, or if he will sell it.

   • 1903, Kate Douglas Wiggin, chapter 21, in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm‎^[1]:

     There was no indecision or delay in the establishment of their relations; Rebecca's heart flew like an arrow to its mark, and her mind, meeting its superior, settled at once into an abiding attitude of respectful homage.

   • 1961 February, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Trains Illustrated, page 86:

     Moreover, in view of the lamentable present indecision of the Government in regard to electrification, the large-scale building of diesel power may prove to have been a farseeing move after all.

Synonyms

• (inability to decide): indecisiveness

Translations

inability to decide on a course of action

• Bulgarian: нерешителност (bg) f (nerešitelnost), колебливост (bg) f (koleblivost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 優柔寡斷／优柔寡断 (zh) (yōuróuguǎduàn)

• Czech: nerozhodnost f
• Dutch: besluiteloosheid (nl)
• Finnish: epäröinti (fi), päättämättömyys (fi)
• French: indécision (fr) f, irrésolution (fr) f
• German: Unentschlossenheit (de) f, Unschlüssigkeit (de) f
• Greek: αναποφασιστικότητα (el) f (anapofasistikótita), δισταγμός (el) m (distagmós)

  Ancient: ἀβουλία f (aboulía)

• Ido: nedecideso (io), nedecidemeso (io)
• Italian: indecisione (it) f, tiremmolla m, inconcludenza (it) f
• Japanese: 優柔不断 (ja) (ゆうじゅうふだん, yūjūfudan)
• Middle English: unstedefastnesse
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ubesluttsomhet (no) m or f

• Polish: niezdecydowanie (pl) n
• Portuguese: indecisão (pt) f
• Russian: нереши́тельность (ru) f (nerešítelʹnostʹ), нереши́мость (ru) f (nerešímostʹ)
• Spanish: indecisión (es) f, irresolución (es) f
• Swedish: obeslutsamhet (sv) c, vankelmod (sv) n, velighet (sv) c