MEANING
To alternate between opinions or choices without settling firmly on one.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- vacillate between options
- vacillate over a decision
On the page
She vacillated between leaving and staying.
The council vacillated over the proposal.
He refused to vacillate any longer.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- vacillate
- Past tense
- vacillated
- Past participle
- vacillated
- Present participle
- vacillating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- vacillate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are vacillating
- Present perfect
- have/has vacillated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been vacillating
- Past
- vacillated
- Past continuous
- was/were vacillating
- Past perfect
- had vacillated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been vacillating
- Future
- will vacillate
- Future continuous
- will be vacillating
- Future perfect
- will have vacillated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been vacillating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: fear. Forms: vacillate; vacillates; vacillated; vacillated; vacillating Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: vacillates.
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