as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
fortunately, during the crisis there was no shilly-shallying on the part of the president
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ambivalent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in hesitating
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delaying
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shilly-shallying
Noun
-
Taking small steps toward dating and being open to new experiences can help break the cycle of hesitation.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025 -
But as the weeks passed, Minnie's initial hesitation turned into affection.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The Russian oil industry and government have always been ambivalent about sharing wealth with foreign investors.—
Stanley Reed,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Like anyone who’s converted a hobby into a career, Vaughn is ambivalent about his influence.—
Rachel Monroe,
The New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
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
Verb
-
Sunday will remain mild with highs near 52 and lingering rain chances.—
Nour Rahal,
Detroit Free Press,
24 Dec. 2024
-
In the days since, many people have reported unsafe road conditions and lingering snow — along with uncollected leaf piles from fall leaf collection that were scattered back onto their yards by the snowplows, the council members said.—
Maia Pandey,
Journal Sentinel,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
An offer sheet for this player would need to be significant to give Bowman pause, so $10 million times seven seasons would need to be a comfort zone for an opposition general manager.—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
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The program is on pause after legal challenges from states, and the amount of savings its elimination could generate, $150 billion or more, depends on the status of the litigation.—
Margot Sanger-Katz,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
While there are countless wormholes to be dragged into on a player’s Baseball Reference page, many of them can be pushed aside with the explanation that the reasoning for a level of success (or lack thereof) is due to the sample size making those results random.—
Tyler Small,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
-
In the early 20th century, physicists wanted to study Brownian motion, the random movement of particles in a liquid or gas.—
Solomon Adams,
WIRED,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Carter first saw the disease up close in 1988 while visiting a village in Ghana where nearly 350 people had worms poking through their skin.—
Sam Mednick,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Dec. 2024
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At its most basic, a poke cake is made by poking holes into a warm cake and pouring on a frosting or filling mixture.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In 2019, when recounting that milestone from her own perspective, McCaskey first recalled the sharp anxiety leading up to the game and her hesitance to answer any of the league’s logistical questions about preparing for the trophy presentation ceremony.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2025
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Intelligence officials are likely to be concerned about the long-term effect that Trump’s policies will have on their agencies’ roles and authorities, leading to caution and hesitance that harm operational effectiveness.—
Peter Schroeder,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Shilly-shallying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shallying. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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