VACILLATED Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

vacillated

verb

past tense of vacillate

as in hesitated

to show uncertainty about the right course of action vacillated for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision

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Recent Examples of vacillated OpenAI has vacillated between wanting to be the big consumer company and knowing that the revenue is in enterprise. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026 Ellison and his executives have vacillated from anger to acceptance. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Since then, his game behind the plate has vacillated between good and bad — an inconsistency aggravated by the presence of Luis Torrens (and his defensive excellence) as his backup. — Tim Britton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Faced with a tough decision, Chiles vacillated. — Miami Herald, 31 May 2026 His government has previously vacillated between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian positions. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2026 Trump, in phone calls with reporters over the past two days, has vacillated between warmongering and offering unclear details about further negotiations. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026 Barron vacillated between playing deep in situational dime packages, fitting run gaps as a veritable off-ball linebacker in big-nickel packages, covering tight ends man-to-man, and even started a game at safety. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Apr. 2026 Their callouts vacillated from descriptions riddled with scientific jargon to exclamations of awe and joy. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vacillated

Verb

Teammates excitedly jumped off the bench, then hesitated when Thiero’s right knee appeared to buckle awkwardly under him.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Montgomery hesitated in front of Lee before cutting inside to leave Lee one-on-one with a defender streaking toward the end zone.

— PJ Green September 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of hesitated

Verb

Current Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has faced intense scrutiny as the state’s insurance market has faltered and has pushed through a series of changes in recent years to try and stabilize it.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Coca-Cola is seeking to unwind its $5 billion acquisition of a British coffeehouse, months after a sales process faltered earlier this year.

— Leah Quinn, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of faltered

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vacillate

vacillated

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“Vacillated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vacillated. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of vacillated

verb

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