verb

vacillate

VAS-uh-layt/ˈvæsəleɪt/

To waver between alternatives without settling on one.

The shopper vacillates between the blue and red shirts.

An older man wavers between two shirts while a shop assistant holds both up.

Etymology

The Latin verb joins physical swaying with hesitation. English likewise moved from unsteady bodily motion to wavering in opinion or choice, as though the mind were swaying between alternatives.

In context

Parliamentarian1:43

they vacillate mr speaker we vaccinate they they deliberate we deliver

‘You vacillate, we vaccinate!’ Johnson clashes with Starmer during PMQs

More examples

We vacillated for weeks over whether to move.
He keeps vacillating between the two apartments.
The committee continues to vacillate on how much to spend.

Forms

vacillate · vacillates · vacillated · vacillating

vacillation noun — Wavering between choices without reaching a decision.

Similar words

waver: Can describe uncertainty without repeated shifts between distinct alternatives.
hesitate: Emphasizes pausing before acting rather than switching between choices.
dither: Emphasizes anxious indecision that delays taking action.