Definition of vacillate in English:

vacillate

verb ˈvasɪleɪtˈvæsəˌleɪt

[no object]

Waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.
动摇，犹豫，踌躇
I vacillated between teaching and journalism
我曾一度在教学和新闻两种工作间踌躇过。
Example sentencesExamples
- The government should give leadership, and not procrastinate and vacillate, he said, although he recognised it could take 20 years.
- My children bring me great joy (especially as the little ones vacillate between squirming with curiosity and tittering with barely kept secrets in anticipation of Christmas).
- It's difficult to say, but indeed I am vacillating between the two.
- ‘The nation's top law enforcer cannot be someone who vacillates between civil rights and Civil War fantasies,’ Jackson wrote.
- Certainly, public opinion of the royals has vacillated so much over the past couple of decades that anything is possible.
- Well, I usually, keep on vacillating between being a hardcore realist and a hopeless romantic.
- Stay firm with decisions at work and don't keep vacillating.
- That's partly because the party's candidates have come across as vacillating on military issues and lenient on social concerns like crime and federal ‘giveaways’ to the poor.
- The president vacillates between the two (hard-line and moderate) camps.
- Its programming vacillates between easily recognized art house fare and mainstream movies, giving the impression that it doesn't really know what it wants to be.
- My listening tastes vacillate between music and talk radio.
- In his later comments on the Marx Brothers, he vacillated between generosity and steely contempt.
- He has vacillated between contradictory approaches to leadership: realism and idealism.
- However, years of indecisiveness have left the company vacillating between a differentiation strategy and that of being a cost leader.
- Since the time of his death informed opinion has vacillated between near universal confidence in his guilt and passionate attempts to exonerate him.
- He vacillates between childlike bemusement and childlike trepidation.
- I don't know, I keep vacillating on whether I should practice so I could make a point in a very humorous way, or whether I should just stay off it.
- The first week or two I vacillated, like most people, between sadness and anger.
- Ask her for an opinion, and she'll give it to you without any hesitation or attempts to vacillate.
- He vacillated when he was asked the direct question at an Irish press conference about the Sunderland job and immediately established in some people's minds the belief that he was actively looking for another job.
Synonyms
dither, be indecisive, be irresolute, be undecided, be uncertain, be unsure, be doubtful, waver, teeter, temporize, hesitate, oscillate, fluctuate, keep changing one's mind
British haver, hum and haw
Scottish swither
informal dilly-dally, shilly-shally, blow hot and cold
irresolute, hesitant, tentative, dithering, wavering, teetering, fluctuating, ambivalent, divided, doubtful, unsure, uncertain, in two minds, undecided, indefinite, unresolved, undetermined
informal dilly-dallying, shilly-shallying, iffy, blowing hot and cold

Derivatives

vacillator

noun

They view him as a vacillator whose tactical shifts in the face of foreign pressure have been unpardonable.
Example sentencesExamples
- He mocked his challenger as a vacillator who could spend the whole time debating himself.
- He said the scrutiny of history was indeed a very cold, harsh and objective spotlight that in time will reveal all vacillators to be men of talk but not action.

Origin

Late 16th century (in the sense 'sway unsteadily'): from Latin vacillat- 'swayed', from the verb vacillare.

Definition of vacillate in US English:

vacillate

verbˈvæsəˌleɪtˈvasəˌlāt

[no object]

Alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.
动摇，犹豫，踌躇
I had for a time vacillated between teaching and journalism
我曾一度在教学和新闻两种工作间踌躇过。
Example sentencesExamples
- The president vacillates between the two (hard-line and moderate) camps.
- Its programming vacillates between easily recognized art house fare and mainstream movies, giving the impression that it doesn't really know what it wants to be.
- ‘The nation's top law enforcer cannot be someone who vacillates between civil rights and Civil War fantasies,’ Jackson wrote.
- Since the time of his death informed opinion has vacillated between near universal confidence in his guilt and passionate attempts to exonerate him.
- Well, I usually, keep on vacillating between being a hardcore realist and a hopeless romantic.
- However, years of indecisiveness have left the company vacillating between a differentiation strategy and that of being a cost leader.
- Stay firm with decisions at work and don't keep vacillating.
- He has vacillated between contradictory approaches to leadership: realism and idealism.
- My children bring me great joy (especially as the little ones vacillate between squirming with curiosity and tittering with barely kept secrets in anticipation of Christmas).
- In his later comments on the Marx Brothers, he vacillated between generosity and steely contempt.
- I don't know, I keep vacillating on whether I should practice so I could make a point in a very humorous way, or whether I should just stay off it.
- He vacillates between childlike bemusement and childlike trepidation.
- That's partly because the party's candidates have come across as vacillating on military issues and lenient on social concerns like crime and federal ‘giveaways’ to the poor.
- Ask her for an opinion, and she'll give it to you without any hesitation or attempts to vacillate.
- Certainly, public opinion of the royals has vacillated so much over the past couple of decades that anything is possible.
- It's difficult to say, but indeed I am vacillating between the two.
- The first week or two I vacillated, like most people, between sadness and anger.
- My listening tastes vacillate between music and talk radio.
- He vacillated when he was asked the direct question at an Irish press conference about the Sunderland job and immediately established in some people's minds the belief that he was actively looking for another job.
- The government should give leadership, and not procrastinate and vacillate, he said, although he recognised it could take 20 years.
Synonyms
dither, be indecisive, be irresolute, be undecided, be uncertain, be unsure, be doubtful, waver, teeter, temporize, hesitate, oscillate, fluctuate, keep changing one's mind
irresolute, hesitant, tentative, dithering, wavering, teetering, fluctuating, ambivalent, divided, doubtful, unsure, uncertain, in two minds, undecided, indefinite, unresolved, undetermined

Origin

Late 16th century (in the sense ‘sway unsteadily’): from Latin vacillat- ‘swayed’, from the verb vacillare.

单词	vacillate
释义	Definition of vacillate in English: vacillate verb ˈvasɪleɪtˈvæsəˌleɪt [no object] Waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive. 动摇，犹豫，踌躇 I vacillated between teaching and journalism 我曾一度在教学和新闻两种工作间踌躇过。 Example sentencesExamples The government should give leadership, and not procrastinate and vacillate, he said, although he recognised it could take 20 years. My children bring me great joy (especially as the little ones vacillate between squirming with curiosity and tittering with barely kept secrets in anticipation of Christmas). It's difficult to say, but indeed I am vacillating between the two. ‘The nation's top law enforcer cannot be someone who vacillates between civil rights and Civil War fantasies,’ Jackson wrote. Certainly, public opinion of the royals has vacillated so much over the past couple of decades that anything is possible. Well, I usually, keep on vacillating between being a hardcore realist and a hopeless romantic. Stay firm with decisions at work and don't keep vacillating. That's partly because the party's candidates have come across as vacillating on military issues and lenient on social concerns like crime and federal ‘giveaways’ to the poor. The president vacillates between the two (hard-line and moderate) camps. Its programming vacillates between easily recognized art house fare and mainstream movies, giving the impression that it doesn't really know what it wants to be. My listening tastes vacillate between music and talk radio. In his later comments on the Marx Brothers, he vacillated between generosity and steely contempt. He has vacillated between contradictory approaches to leadership: realism and idealism. However, years of indecisiveness have left the company vacillating between a differentiation strategy and that of being a cost leader. Since the time of his death informed opinion has vacillated between near universal confidence in his guilt and passionate attempts to exonerate him. He vacillates between childlike bemusement and childlike trepidation. I don't know, I keep vacillating on whether I should practice so I could make a point in a very humorous way, or whether I should just stay off it. The first week or two I vacillated, like most people, between sadness and anger. Ask her for an opinion, and she'll give it to you without any hesitation or attempts to vacillate. He vacillated when he was asked the direct question at an Irish press conference about the Sunderland job and immediately established in some people's minds the belief that he was actively looking for another job. Synonyms dither, be indecisive, be irresolute, be undecided, be uncertain, be unsure, be doubtful, waver, teeter, temporize, hesitate, oscillate, fluctuate, keep changing one's mind British haver, hum and haw Scottish swither informal dilly-dally, shilly-shally, blow hot and cold irresolute, hesitant, tentative, dithering, wavering, teetering, fluctuating, ambivalent, divided, doubtful, unsure, uncertain, in two minds, undecided, indefinite, unresolved, undetermined informal dilly-dallying, shilly-shallying, iffy, blowing hot and cold Derivatives vacillator noun They view him as a vacillator whose tactical shifts in the face of foreign pressure have been unpardonable. Example sentencesExamples He mocked his challenger as a vacillator who could spend the whole time debating himself. He said the scrutiny of history was indeed a very cold, harsh and objective spotlight that in time will reveal all vacillators to be men of talk but not action. Origin Late 16th century (in the sense 'sway unsteadily'): from Latin vacillat- 'swayed', from the verb vacillare. Definition of vacillate in US English: vacillate verbˈvæsəˌleɪtˈvasəˌlāt [no object] Alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive. 动摇，犹豫，踌躇 I had for a time vacillated between teaching and journalism 我曾一度在教学和新闻两种工作间踌躇过。 Example sentencesExamples The president vacillates between the two (hard-line and moderate) camps. Its programming vacillates between easily recognized art house fare and mainstream movies, giving the impression that it doesn't really know what it wants to be. ‘The nation's top law enforcer cannot be someone who vacillates between civil rights and Civil War fantasies,’ Jackson wrote. Since the time of his death informed opinion has vacillated between near universal confidence in his guilt and passionate attempts to exonerate him. Well, I usually, keep on vacillating between being a hardcore realist and a hopeless romantic. However, years of indecisiveness have left the company vacillating between a differentiation strategy and that of being a cost leader. Stay firm with decisions at work and don't keep vacillating. He has vacillated between contradictory approaches to leadership: realism and idealism. My children bring me great joy (especially as the little ones vacillate between squirming with curiosity and tittering with barely kept secrets in anticipation of Christmas). In his later comments on the Marx Brothers, he vacillated between generosity and steely contempt. I don't know, I keep vacillating on whether I should practice so I could make a point in a very humorous way, or whether I should just stay off it. He vacillates between childlike bemusement and childlike trepidation. That's partly because the party's candidates have come across as vacillating on military issues and lenient on social concerns like crime and federal ‘giveaways’ to the poor. Ask her for an opinion, and she'll give it to you without any hesitation or attempts to vacillate. Certainly, public opinion of the royals has vacillated so much over the past couple of decades that anything is possible. It's difficult to say, but indeed I am vacillating between the two. The first week or two I vacillated, like most people, between sadness and anger. My listening tastes vacillate between music and talk radio. He vacillated when he was asked the direct question at an Irish press conference about the Sunderland job and immediately established in some people's minds the belief that he was actively looking for another job. The government should give leadership, and not procrastinate and vacillate, he said, although he recognised it could take 20 years. Synonyms dither, be indecisive, be irresolute, be undecided, be uncertain, be unsure, be doubtful, waver, teeter, temporize, hesitate, oscillate, fluctuate, keep changing one's mind irresolute, hesitant, tentative, dithering, wavering, teetering, fluctuating, ambivalent, divided, doubtful, unsure, uncertain, in two minds, undecided, indefinite, unresolved, undetermined Origin Late 16th century (in the sense ‘sway unsteadily’): from Latin vacillat- ‘swayed’, from the verb vacillare.
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