as in reluctant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty
he was hesitant about committing himself to the oversight of the project, which he knew would be long and difficult
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of hesitant
HubSpot research indicates that a majority of consumers remain hesitant about making purchases through social channels, primarily due to concerns about merchant legitimacy and transaction security.
—
Christopher Yang, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Queen, who also operates Royalty Escapes Travel Agency, added that some clients are more hesitant to spend thousands of dollars on vacations because of concerns about their job stability.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Yet even in the face of these losses, many retailers remain hesitant to modernize their approach to returns, fearing that stricter policies could hurt customer satisfaction.
—Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Industry professionals are hesitant to define this as indicative of a larger trend.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitant
Christopher Yang, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Queen, who also operates Royalty Escapes Travel Agency, added that some clients are more hesitant to spend thousands of dollars on vacations because of concerns about their job stability.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Yet even in the face of these losses, many retailers remain hesitant to modernize their approach to returns, fearing that stricter policies could hurt customer satisfaction.
—Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Industry professionals are hesitant to define this as indicative of a larger trend.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hesitant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitant
reluctant
Adjective
-
In saying that, Chelsea will be reluctant to block the pathways of Mamadou Sarr (on loan at Strasbourg) and Aaron Anselmino (on loan at Borussia Dortmund).—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
After the race, Mekies was reluctant to take credit for the result and made sure to credit the staff who worked on last year's race at Monza, from which the team made several adjustments.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hesitant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitant. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share