vacillate
verb/ˈvæ.sə.leɪt/ · /ˈvæ.sɪ.leɪt/
Etymology From Latin vacillātum, supine form of vacillō (“sway, waver”). By surface analysis, Latin vacill- + -ate.
1
To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.
- Its [the barometer's] normal register in the Paumotus [the Tuamotus] was 29.90, and it was quite customary to see it vacillate between 29.85 and 30.00, or even 30.05; […]1910, Jack London, The Heathen:
2
To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
- Courageous, patriotic, yet vacillating, many of the noblest principles and the purest intentions, men of large possessions and ancient names, under the afflicting circumstances of the times, failed to render service to their unhappy country, but involved themselves in irremediable ruin.1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XXIX, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 68:
- Though it is vital to be alert for circumstances which require a change of plan, it is fatal to vacillate.1944 October, I. A. Horowitz, “Readers' Games”, in Chess Review:
2 more examples
- On the streets of Berlin, Ruth and her compatriots vacillated "between hope and despair."2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage:
- Oliveira couldn’t seem to decide if the point of his videos was to make a point about welfare — he vacillates between claiming Orthodox Jews are engaged in fraud and acknowledging they legitimately qualify for programs like Medicaid and food stamps that he doesn’t think taxes should pay for, at least when it comes to large Jewish families — or to hold up the Jewish communities in Kiryas Joel and Lakewood as models for white Americans.2026 February 25, Arno Rosenfeld, “After Minneapolis, a YouTuber comes for Jewish ‘welfare queens’”, in The Forward, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2026:
- Synonyms
- stagger, blow hot and cold, waffle
- Related terms
- vacillant, vacillating, vacillation, vacillator, vacillatory