shilly-shallied

verb

Definition of shilly-shalliednext
past tense of shilly-shally
1
as in hesitated
to show uncertainty about the right course of action I didn't shilly-shally but instead raced to the hospital as soon as I heard the news

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delayed
to move or act slowly with dinner guests due in two hours, there was no time to shilly-shally in front of the TV set

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shilly-shallied
  1. hesitated
  2. faltered
  3. lingered
  4. poked
Verb
  • Bangladeshis haven’t hesitated to weigh in, writing hundreds of emails saying that anyone running for office must meet certain educational thresholds.
    Saif Hasnat Atul Loke, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Nearly two decades ago, Intel hesitated to pivot to GPUs, clinging to CPUs as its core business.
    Robert Pearl, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of hesitated
Verb
  • English speakers, despite their greater familiarity with the odors, faltered.
    Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Beyond Big Pharma As obesity drug stocks faltered, the other side of the weight loss drug trade has rebounded.
    Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of faltered
Verb
  • That spirit of support has lingered—but can that spirit keep hospitality afloat with increasingly fewer covers, shorter checks, more caps?
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2024
  • The concept lingered in her mind for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment to take shape.
    Tiana DeNicola, Variety, 21 Dec. 2024
Definition of lingered
Verb
  • Glaser — the host of the 2025 Golden Globe awards — also poked fun at Bündchen’s relationship with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente during the roast.
    Eric Andersson, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024
  • And nobody had to guess the color of his underwear, as his black and gray Tom Ford briefs poked purposefully out from his pants.
    Bailey Richards, People.com, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of poked
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near shilly-shallied

shills

shilly-shallied

shilly-shallies

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Cite this Entry

“Shilly-shallied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallied. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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