Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To sway from one side to the other; oscillate.
- v. To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another. See Synonyms at hesitate.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To waver; move one way and the other; reel; stagger.
- To fluctuate in mind or opinion; waver; be irresolute or inconstant.
- Synonyms and Waver, Oscillate, etc. (see fluctuate), sway.
- To hesitate.
Wiktionary
- v. intransitive To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.
- v. intransitive To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To move one way and the other; to reel or stagger; to waver.
- v. To fluctuate in mind or opinion; to be unsteady or inconstant; to waver.
WordNet 3.0
- v. be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
- v. move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern
Etymologies
- From Latin vacillātum, supine form of vacillō ("sway, waver"). (Wiktionary)
- Latin vacillāre, vacillāt-, to waver. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The word vacillate means “to be indecisive … to sway from side to side.””
“Versions of the words "vacillate" and "indecisive" were much more in evidence on the McCain campaign conference call this morning than in past calls.”
“And let's face it - as military family members we often vacillate between reaching out and pulling back abruptly when no one grabs the hand we've extended.”
“I vacillate between dark and amusingly self-absorbed …”
“You seem to vacillate between “this is my preference, i.e. what is good for me” and “this is what is good for everyone”.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Sex Education, Dirty Words, and the Due Process Clause
“A set of forks, flanking a plate of fish, vacillate between threatening weapons and frail hands.”
“OrenWithAnE: Every time we have this discussion you vacillate between “the US has nothing to fear from the ICC” and “it would defeat the point to exempt the US from the ICC”.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » “Garzon and the Trouble with International Law”
“Every time we have this discussion you vacillate between “the US has nothing to fear from the ICC” and “it would defeat the point to exempt the US from the ICC”.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » “Garzon and the Trouble with International Law”
“And after watching his career vacillate so unpredictably for so many years, what is Drama's next move after the TV movie you know, the one that Vince had to buy for him?”
“Mommy maybe we shouldn't read anymore" I vacillate about whether we are helping or handicapping our kids by sheltering them.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘vacillate’.
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Test Prep or Just for fun
Building a list for standardized test prep or just for learning some new words! Please add any words that you feel are important for the SAT/GRE/GMAT etc...
throng, morass, parley, facile, kismet, strife, jetsam, carrion, annex, harbinger, vestige, surreptitious and 575 more...
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@vcb.etym.prjct - SAT WORD DUMP - as ...
The words on this list SAT regulars that I haven't sorted and grouped yet. It's like my wordy holding pen. get it? holding the pen to write a word? HA! I love how lame my humor is.
iconoclast, glacial, agnostic, histrionic, treacly, contemptuous, captious, bombastic, bombast, perfidy, quiescence, sordid and 148 more...
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Bike Snob'isms
words I saw while reading the Bike Snob
helment, scranus, podium, sangue borse, hipster, dandydom, effete, douchebag, douchebags, Lobweh, Portland, brakeless track bike and 328 more...
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GRE Barron's 800
abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abject, abjure, abscission, abscond, abstemious, abstinence, abysmal, accretion and 787 more...
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GRE 2014
abase, abate, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
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phrontistery-v
from phrontistery.info
vulviform, vulvar, vulturine, vulpine, vulpicide, vulpecular, vulnerose, vulsella, vulnerary, vulnerate, vulgus, vulgo and 396 more...
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From reading
Collected from reading
venerate, reprobate, reticent, adoration, ethereal, ephemeral, equivocal, contumacious, heinous, solicitous, agnostic, aberration and 335 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2046 more...
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Philosophic , etymology
every major discipline has uniquely developed esoteric nomenclature to facilitate interdisciplinary dissemination
quale , qualia, elegy, tacet, lexicon, annunciate, caste, eros, contrive, purlicue, irony, venacular, dilapidate and 567 more...
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Words for Anna
exacerbate, pixilate, obviate, placate, titilate, interpolate, perambulate, vacillate, abnegate, indignant, perpetrate, conjure and 7 more...
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Vocabulary
shibboleth, verboten, jejune, ostensible, multifarious, quintessence, purportedly, tangential, vacillate, quagmire, wanton, onerous and 74 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1908 more...
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SAT Words
But only the ones that I don't already know.
abase, abash, abominate, abstruse, acclivity, accolade, accost, adroit, adulate, adulterate, adumbrate, affray and 241 more...
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GRE
vacillate, prosaic, auspicious, insipid, cerbic, acerbic, pertinacious, rapacious, specious, belied, assiduous, intractable and 8 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for vacillate.
blafferty This word feels weak-chinned and sounds like the motion of your hand when you're saying "kinda, maybe, I don't know." May 25, 2009