1
as in reluctance
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
sales figures for the month were up, as consumers began to overcome their hesitance about purchasing big-ticket items
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
she mistook my hesitance to mean I didn't like her poem, but I was trying to come up with appropriate words of praise
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of hesitance in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
Enforcement is slow, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health is understaffed and hesitance to report poor conditions is widespread among low-wage workers.
—
Calmatters, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
Another thing that has noticeably changed as her popularity has grown is Swift's hesitance to talk about politics in public or her music.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 18 Sep. 2024
The threat of losing their medical license could further amplify that hesitance to act, some critics have speculated.
—William Morris, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024
In late August, Trump expressed hesitance about participating in the debate, citing skepticism over ABC serving as the hosting network, USA TODAY reported.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hesitance 
Calmatters, The Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2024
Another thing that has noticeably changed as her popularity has grown is Swift's hesitance to talk about politics in public or her music.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 18 Sep. 2024
The threat of losing their medical license could further amplify that hesitance to act, some critics have speculated.
—William Morris, USA TODAY, 24 July 2024
In late August, Trump expressed hesitance about participating in the debate, citing skepticism over ABC serving as the hosting network, USA TODAY reported.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hesitance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitance
Noun
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Still, at the same time, Trump has baselessly questioned the voting method and shown reluctance to cast ballots through mail-in voting.Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2024
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Even the man hand-picked to manage the conclave, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), might be in the running, despite his reluctance and the fact that he’s been stricken with a crisis of faith of late.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The team’s response, driven by fear of failure, was to pitch the new idea with hesitation, bracing for challenges and hoping that the CIO’s request would not negatively impact their progress.Thomas Lim, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
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The polarized national discourse certainly may cause some hesitation among teachers to dive into those discussions, says Ms. Billingham Bock of the Democratic Knowledge Project.Jackie Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Rivera, who lives in Goodyear, will be voting for the very first time in this election, and despite some hesitancy at the beginning, solidified his support for Harris.Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024
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Yes, this story was reportedly (mostly) true as Belushi didn't sign his contract until moments before the cold open due to his hesitancy over the show and joining TV in general.Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 12 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Michelle Obama put a pause on her power suiting style and opted for her take on casual dressing for a recent campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday ahead of the presidential election.Julia Teti, WWD, 30 Oct. 2024
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The administration is ending its tenure with a pause on new U.S. liquified natural gas exports and infrastructure projects.Dipka Bhambhani, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near hesitance
Cite this Entry
“Hesitance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitance. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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