hesitant C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition US /ˈhɛzɪtənt/ UK /ˈhɛzɪtənt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj tentative or unsure; slow to act or decide She was hesitant to commit before reading the full agreement. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · tentative or unsure; slow... tentativereluctantuncertainirresolutewaveringdiffidentunsurefaltering ↔ Opposites decisiveresoluteconfidentcertaineager Word family Forms hesitantly Derived forms hesitantly Related forms hesitatehesitationhesitancy Etymology AI details From Latin haesitantem (accusative of haesitans), present participle of haesitare ('to stick fast, be undecided'), frequentative of haerere ('to cling, stick'). haesitare Latin haerere Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Mind & Cognition Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # hesitant **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈhɛzɪtənt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈhɛzɪtənt/ ## Meanings 1. tentative or unsure; slow to act or decide ## Examples - She was hesitant to commit before reading the full agreement. ## Synonyms - tentative - reluctant - uncertain - irresolute - wavering - diffident - unsure - faltering ## Antonyms - decisive - resolute - confident - certain - eager ## Derived Forms - hesitantly ## Related Forms - hesitate - hesitation - hesitancy ## Roots and Affixes - Root: haesitare - Root: haerere ## Etymology From Latin haesitantem (accusative of haesitans), present participle of haesitare ('to stick fast, be undecided'), frequentative of haerere ('to cling, stick'). ## AI Etymology Hesitant comes from Latin haesitantem (accusative of haesitans), present participle of haesitare ('to stick fast, be undecided'), frequentative of haerere ('to cling, stick'). The etymological trail includes Latin haesitare and Latin haerere. As an adjective, hesitant describes what is tentative or unsure; slow to act or decide. The same family is visible in derived forms such as hesitantly and related forms such as hesitate, hesitation, and hesitancy. ## Topics - Mind & Cognition - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown