WAVER Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'waver' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of waver are falter , hesitate , and vacillate . While all these words mean "to show irresolution or uncertainty," waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat. // wavered in his support of the rebels

Q: Where would 'falter' be a reasonable alternative to 'waver'?

While the synonyms falter and waver are close in meaning, falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear. // never once faltered during her testimony

Q: When could 'hesitate' be used to replace 'waver'?

The words hesitate and waver are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing. // hesitated before answering the question

Q: When would 'vacillate' be a good substitute for 'waver'?

The synonyms vacillate and waver are sometimes interchangeable, but vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision. // vacillated until events were out of control

waver 1 of 2

verb

ˈwā-vər

Definition of waver

as in to hesitate

to show uncertainty about the right course of action he's still wavering about whether to take the job

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to falter

to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side the steel tower wavered for a moment before falling over

Synonyms & Similar Words

waver

2 of 2

noun

as in sway

Related Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb waver differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of waver are falter, hesitate, and vacillate. While all these words mean "to show irresolution or uncertainty," waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat.

wavered in his support of the rebels

Where would falter be a reasonable alternative to waver?

While the synonyms falter and waver are close in meaning, falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear.

never once faltered during her testimony

When could hesitate be used to replace waver?

The words hesitate and waver are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing.

hesitated before answering the question

When would vacillate be a good substitute for waver?

The synonyms vacillate and waver are sometimes interchangeable, but vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision.

vacillated until events were out of control

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 waver

Verb

The Monitor's View As Americans’ trust in elections wavers, local officials and volunteers are strengthening safeguards – and making sure more voters know about it. — The Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026 If the laser beam wavers even slightly, defects ruin the crystalline structure. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

Noun

From that moment, Roosevelt's admiration for America's Civil War president never wanes or wavers. — Douglas Brinkley, USA Today, 24 May 2026 When those practitioners are taken away from patients, our pluck and determination waver. — Mindy Uhrlaub, STAT, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for waver

Recent Examples of Synonyms for waver

Verb

Much of the film plays out in close-up as Alex watches, plays, thinks, hesitates.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
But the clearest lesson from Iowa is that states that engage early and set smart terms come out ahead, while those that hesitate watch the investment head elsewhere.

— Jeff Danielson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of hesitate

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
Lucy’s constant sense of invention sometimes falters under the album’s new, megawatt spotlight, lacking the enticing mystery that gives their best music its power.

— H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of falter

Noun

Blurred boundaries Measuring global functional connectivity—how much influence each patch of cortex exerts over the rest—the team found that, when participants had their eyes closed, sensory regions lost sway while associative regions gained.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 Oct. 2026
The story plays out in New York’s cutthroat acting scene, where a talented Indian actor chasing his craft falls under the sway of Keitel’s teacher.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of sway

Verb

But now, the occupation seems to tremble before Palestinian children holding paper and string.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Those afflicted would tremble and jerk around, lose the ability to stand or swallow, and, after many months of slow suffering, die.

— David Remnick, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of tremble

Noun

In 2008, in Texas, geologist and Petrohawk Energy cofounder Dick Stoneburner—a great name for a shale rock expert—helped pioneer drilling and fracking and led the discovery of the Eagle Ford Shale oil boom in South Texas.

— Jordan Blum, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Geese did something similar with last year’s Getting Killed, their own neutron star of an album, gobbling up the tangled lineages of rock, punk, and drone music in New York City with the ravenous appetites of kids weaned on the infinite scroll.

— Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of rock

Verb

In Panama City, about 125 miles from the earthquake’s epicentral area, residents rushed from high-rise buildings when the ground began shaking Friday.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
When war breaks out, he is shaken from his sleep and runs for an air-raid shelter.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of shake

Noun

The hypnotizing corduroy stripes of curling blue waves visible from the resort’s expansive green clifftop lawn en route to a private staircase that leads straight to the surf—and a guest-only beach deck, too.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Seeing the president flash on the scoreboard, or wave to the crowd from a private box, probably won’t win him votes from the crowd, either, Mowery said.

— Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of wave

Browse Nearby Words

wavelets

waver

wavered

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of waver

verb

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

deportment

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes