English > hesitate: 2 senses > verb 1, stative| Meaning | pause or hold back in uncertainty / uncertainty or unwillingness. |
|---|
| Pattern | Somebody ----s; Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE; Somebody ----s whether INFINITIVE |
|---|
| Example | "Authorities hesitate to quote exact figures" |
|---|
| Synonyms | waver, waffle |
|---|
| Entails | doubt | lack confidence in or have doubts about |
|---|
| Narrower | boggle | hesitate when confronted with a problem, or when in doubt or fear |
|---|
| dwell on, linger over | delay |
| falter, waver | Be unsure or weak |
| hover, vibrate, vacillate, oscillate | Be undecided about something |
| hover, linger | Move to and fro |
| Spanish | dudar, titubear, vacilar |
|---|
| Catalan | dubtar, hesitar, vacil·lar |
|---|
| Adjectives | hesitant | lacking decisiveness of character |
|---|
| Nouns | hesitancy, hesitation | a certain degree of unwillingness |
|---|
| hesitation | indecision in speech or action |
| hesitator, hesitater | one who hesitates (usually out of fear) |
