What does hesitancy mean?
Hesitancy describes the quality of pausing, wavering, or feeling uncertain before acting, speaking, or reaching a decision. In everyday use, it often conveys a reluctance to commit, as when someone hesitates over a difficult choice or appears unsure in conversation. The word can be mildly critical: describing a person’s hesitancy may suggest excessive caution, while describing a situation may simply identify an understandable pause. Although “hesitation” is more common, “hesitancy” is especially useful when emphasizing a pattern of uncertainty or delay rather than one momentary interruption. It is used in both formal and informal English, but it has a somewhat more formal, deliberate tone. Because hesitation is usually uncountable, “hesitancy” is normally used in the singular, with the rare plural “hesitancies” reserved for distinct instances of indecision.
nounHesitancy is the quality of being slow or uncertain before acting, speaking, or making a choice. It can refer to a brief pause caused by indecision or, more generally, to a persistent reluctance to commit.
- A pause or delay before acting or speaking because one is uncertain or undecided.
- Reluctance or unwillingness to act or commit, especially when faced with a decision or difficulty.
"She answered with a slight hesitancy, as if unsure whether to tell the whole truth."
"There was a moment of hesitancy before he accepted the offer."
"The committee’s hesitancy to approve the proposal delayed the entire project."
The plural is uncommon because hesitancy is generally used as an uncountable noun; use the singular for most instances of uncertainty or delay.
"The report documents several hesitancies in the witnesses’ accounts."
Hesitancy comes from a Latin word meaning “to stick,” preserving the idea of being held back by doubt before taking the next step.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hesitancy come from?
Hesitancy was formed in English in the early 17th century from hesitant, with the suffix -ancy. Its ultimate source is the Latin haesitare, meaning “to stick” or “to hesitate,” which developed from haerere, “to adhere” or “to be fixed.” Related English words include hesitate, hesitant, hesitantly, and hesitation.
Related word forms
How hesitancy is actually used
Hesitancy is formal but widely understood. It often sounds more deliberate or sustained than hesitation, which can describe a single brief pause.
Easily confused with hesitancy
Hesitation usually refers to an individual pause or delay, whereas hesitancy more often denotes the quality or tendency to pause, waver, or remain uncertain.