as in weak
formal
not certain about what to do; not resolute
He has been criticized as an irresolute leader.
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Recent Examples of irresolute
The prevailing sense among investors and market handicappers entering the month was to expect choppy, irresolute action full of potential scares.
—
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2024
Showing signs of being irresolute can signal weakness that adversaries take note of.
—Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 5 Jan. 2024
In short, Obama’s apparent restraint appears irresolute, whereas Putin comes across as a strong, decisive master strategist who exploits Obama’s weakness and keeps Washington off balance.
—Alexander Cooley, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2015
Vernon’s sea power duly secured the Panamanian export hub of Porto Bello (which would give its name to London’s Portobello Road), but the irresolute Wentworth was ignominiously defeated in his halfhearted attempts to capture Cartagena (in modern-day Colombia) and Santiago, Cuba.
—Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2021
In some states, the confusion felt by providers and patients is compounded by ambiguous, irresolute language in the new and forthcoming laws themselves.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 2 July 2022
That phrase is a call back to the ancestors and an acknowledgment that you were not raised to be fearful and irresolute.
—Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2021
Sessions became unpopular within the agency for irresolute leadership, according to a 1993 New York Times article that described him as having a short attention span and being disinterested in bureaucratic details.
—Stephen Miller, Bloomberg.com, 11 June 2020
More unsettling than terrifying, the story (by the directors and Sergio Casci) builds to a leisurely, irresolute and unsatisfying climax.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2020
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2024
Showing signs of being irresolute can signal weakness that adversaries take note of.
—Michael Poznansky, Foreign Affairs, 5 Jan. 2024
In short, Obama’s apparent restraint appears irresolute, whereas Putin comes across as a strong, decisive master strategist who exploits Obama’s weakness and keeps Washington off balance.
—Alexander Cooley, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2015
Vernon’s sea power duly secured the Panamanian export hub of Porto Bello (which would give its name to London’s Portobello Road), but the irresolute Wentworth was ignominiously defeated in his halfhearted attempts to capture Cartagena (in modern-day Colombia) and Santiago, Cuba.
—Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2021
In some states, the confusion felt by providers and patients is compounded by ambiguous, irresolute language in the new and forthcoming laws themselves.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 2 July 2022
That phrase is a call back to the ancestors and an acknowledgment that you were not raised to be fearful and irresolute.
—Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2021
Sessions became unpopular within the agency for irresolute leadership, according to a 1993 New York Times article that described him as having a short attention span and being disinterested in bureaucratic details.
—Stephen Miller, Bloomberg.com, 11 June 2020
More unsettling than terrifying, the story (by the directors and Sergio Casci) builds to a leisurely, irresolute and unsatisfying climax.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for irresolute
Adjective
-
However, a weaker dollar, resulting from tariffs and other policies, makes that harder for exporters.—
Brendan Coffey,
Sportico.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
However, this same quantum state sensitivity makes these atoms ideal for detecting extremely weak signals.—
Paul Lipman,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Aside from the retroactive tariffs expected to be announced this afternoon by the White House, not only is the imposition of secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian highly uncertain, but their possible nature remains inscrutable.—
Michael Lynch,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
And the partnership comes as TikTok’s future in the U.S. is uncertain.—
Lillian Rizzo,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Initially, many older women are hesitant to attempt these higher-impact movements due to osteopenia or osteoporosis.—
Melanie Curry,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
-
Many students were hesitant at first, sticking to manual methods.—
Lutz Finger,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Ducharme was pitching Fudd to play another year in college even before the redshirt junior walked in UConn’s Senior Day ceremony, but the indecisive star guard kept her waiting.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2025
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This ongoing scrutiny reinforces the harmful narrative that bisexuality is fleeting or indecisive.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In place of lockdowns, the statement contended, the nation could simply let infections spread among most of the population while the old and infirm remained in relative isolation.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Responding to a question from Newsweek, Adams shared three strategies for hospitals and health care providers working to effectively communicate public health information in a second Trump term, one with an infirm position on vaccines and possible cuts to major health care programs.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Irresolute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irresolute. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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