vacillate
English edit
Etymology edit
From Latin vacillātum, supine form of vacillō (“sway, waver”).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
vacillate (third-person singular simple present vacillates, present participle vacillating, simple past and past participle vacillated)
- (intransitive) To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.
- 1910, Jack London, The Heathen:
- 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; […]
- (intransitive) To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
- 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XXIX, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 68:
- 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.
- 1944 October, I. A. Horowitz, “Readers' Games”, in Chess Review:
- Though it is vital to be alert for circumstances which require a change of plan, it is fatal to vacillate.
- 2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage:
- On the streets of Berlin, Ruth and her compatriots vacillated "between hope and despair."
Synonyms edit
- (to sway from one side to the other): stagger
- (to swing indecisively): blow hot and cold, waffle
Related terms edit
Translations edit
to sway unsteadily from one side to the other
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to swing from one course of action or opinion to another
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to be changeable, or inconsistent in speech or action
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Further reading edit
- “vacillate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “vacillate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “vacillate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams edit
Italian edit
Etymology 1 edit
Verb edit
vacillate
- inflection of vacillare:
Etymology 2 edit
Participle edit
vacillate f pl
Anagrams edit
Latin edit
Verb edit
vacillāte