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.
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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
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Other checks on Trump’s policy will also be far weaker.Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
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Each endpoint can be assessed to sniff out weak points.PCMAG, PCMAG, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Our data is optimistic, but the politics is uncertain.James Morton Turner, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2024
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Even with a Republican Congress, some of this could prove difficult — and the potential fallout is uncertain at best.Carl Leubsdorf, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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China's East Asian neighbors are also grappling with similar problems, characterized by rapidly aging populations and younger generations increasingly hesitant to have families.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
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But a pill could help with current supply constraints and open the market to patients hesitant to taking injections.Bruce Gil, Quartz, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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That said, finally realizing that Wendy is a Gemini is making a lot of her traits make sense: indecisive, impulsive, can’t commit to an idea or a personality.Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 27 Oct. 2024
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The most likely outcome of the current strategy, then, is not a Ukrainian triumph but a long, bloody, and ultimately indecisive war.Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2022
Adjective
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The team’s droll, imperturbable manager, Dave Roberts, spent much of his summer issuing medical briefings on infirm pitchers.Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024
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However, unless the patient/resident is so infirm that he or she can’t be moved, nothing prevents a son, daughter or grandchild from taking their relative out for a nice brunch, lunch or dinner.Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near irresolute
Cite this Entry
“Irresolute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/irresolute. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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