hesitate implies a pause before deciding or acting or choosing.
hesitated before answering the question
waver implies hesitation after seeming to decide and so connotes weakness or a retreat.
wavered in his support of the rebels
vacillate implies prolonged hesitation from inability to reach a firm decision.
vacillated until events were out of control
falter implies a wavering or stumbling and often connotes nervousness, lack of courage, or outright fear.
never once faltered during her testimony
Example Sentences
She has vacillated on this issue. vacillated for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision
Recent Examples on the WebThat’s the keep-you-guessing appeal of Deep Water, which sees Vic and Melinda’s relationship vacillate between tenderness and simmering rage. David Sims, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2022 Lucy’s perceptions of her first husband vacillate in maddeningly recognizable ways.Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2021 Job candidates often feel awkward when talking about their skills and vacillate between being too aggressive or bland when interviewing. Kim Thompson, Chron, 21 Aug. 2021 Then there will be players who vacillate about the vaccine, guys like Tampa Bay’s Leonard Fournette. Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2021 In pieces like p1eta™️, Chapin tries to reconcile the polarity that women vacillate between — Eve as wicked and full of knowledge, the Virgin Mary as pure and worthy. Brienne Walsh, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2021 Some dedicate half or whole days to each of their primary processes, but the key is to not vacillate back-and-forth between them. Tim Maurer, Forbes, 11 Apr. 2021 Many South Korean voters vacillate between the two major parties and tend to make up their minds just weeks before presidential votes. Andrew Jeong, WSJ, 7 Apr. 2021 But when what seems like her last shot at success slips away, Radha decides to reinvent herself as rapper, proceeding to vacillate between the worlds of hip-hop and theater on a quest to find her true voice. Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2020 See More
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Latin vacillātus, past participle of vacillāre "to be unsteady, totter, be weak or inconstant, waver," of uncertain origin