What does vacillating mean?
Vacillating means to hesitate or waver between alternatives, typically because a choice is difficult or one's preferences are uncertain. It can describe a person's behaviour, such as an indecisive voter, or a process in which a committee repeatedly shifts between proposals. The word often conveys prolonged or repeated uncertainty rather than a single brief pause, and it can carry a mildly critical tone when applied to indecisiveness. Its related adjective use similarly characterizes a response, plan, or attitude as unsettled or unreliable. The word derives from Latin vacillare, meaning “to wobble,” an image that effectively suggests someone moving back and forth without reaching a stable decision. Vacillating is useful when the emphasis is on the repeated movement between possibilities, especially when the delay affects action or reveals doubt.
To hesitate or waver between choices, opinions, or possible courses of action.
"The governor vacillated for several days before announcing her decision."
Common in formal and literary prose; often implies repeated or prolonged indecision.
Showing hesitation or indecision, especially through repeated changes in opinion or intention.
"His vacillating attitude made it impossible to predict how he would vote."
The adjectival use is a participial adjective and commonly modifies behaviour, responses, commitments, or courses of action.
From a Latin word meaning “to wobble,” vacillating captures the image of someone unable to stop swaying between choices.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does vacillating come from?
Vacillating comes from Latin vacillare, “to wobble” or “to sway to and fro,” with the English verb vacillate developed from that root. The modern sense of shifting between choices extends the physical image of unsteady movement to intellectual uncertainty. Vacillation and vacillatory are related English derivatives, while several other European languages have independently borrowed forms from the same Latin verb.
Related word forms
How vacillating is actually used
Vacillating is especially common in formal and literary contexts. It often conveys repeated or prolonged indecision, while less formal alternatives include wavering or changing one's mind.
Easily confused with vacillating
Hesitating refers to pausing or delaying because of uncertainty or apprehension, whereas vacillating more specifically implies repeatedly shifting between alternatives or failing to settle on a course of action.