hesitancy

noun

hes·​i·​tan·​cy ˈhe-zə-tən(t)-sē 

1

: the quality or state of being hesitant: such as

a

: slowness in acting or deciding due to doubt or uncertainty : indecision

He often reminded me of Orwell, not so much in feature as by a kind of hesitancy of manner, as if thinking for a second about the true meaning of what had been said before committing himself …

—Anthony Powell

b

: lack of willingness or eagerness to do something : reluctance

She took that drastic step only with the greatest hesitancy.

This hesitancy to hire is one of the reasons companies are so unfazed by the possibility of the economy slowing.

—Rob Norton

I was naturally a little hesitant about asking exactly how much he did earn—but there was no hesitancy on his part as he flourished his pay slip.

—Richard Carver

see also vaccine hesitancy

2

plural hesitancies : an act or instance of being hesitant : hesitation sense 1

… he speaks in a cheerful, self-deprecating fashion that seems to preclude silences or hesitancies on either side of a conversation.

—Roger Angell

3

medical : urinary hesitancy

… his chief complaint was hesitancy and intermittency of urination.

—Ari J. Isaacson

Synonyms

• disinclination
• hesitance
• reluctance
• reticence
• unwillingness

Examples of hesitancy in a Sentence

his appointment to the superintendency was confirmed by the school board without the least hesitancy

his hesitancy in pulling over into the next lane while he had a chance resulted in him missing his exit

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s a fight ahead, and Jacob’s hesitancy to accept the changing times likely won’t be his ally in it. —Hunter Ingram, Variety, 23 Feb. 2025

Zoom out: The effort comes as some Republicans express hesitancy about Chavez-DeRemer. —Stef W. Kight, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025

Some of the hesitancy toward vaccines can be attributed to a swarm of misinformation on social media and the internet, which, in many instances, has overshadowed public health campaigns. —Sabrina Malhi The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024

And so there’s been no hesitancy with me sending you the Final Draft file. —Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hesitancy

• urinary hesitancy
• vaccine hesitancy

Kids Definition

hesitancy

noun

hes·​i·​tan·​cy ˈhez-ə-tən-sē 

plural hesitancies

1

: a tendency to hesitate

2

: an act or instance of hesitating

Medical Definition

hesitancy

noun

hes·​i·​tan·​cy ˈhez-ə-tən(t)-sē 

: the quality or state of being hesitant: such as

a

: lack of willingness or eagerness to do something

hesitancy to report symptoms

see also vaccine hesitancy

b

: urinary hesitancy

One patient had symptoms of urinary incontinence, frequency, nocturia and hesitancy …

—Ray Addison, Nursing Times