indecisive

C2+ Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv/ UK /ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv/ See IPA manual

adj

Meanings

1

adj
unable to make decisions, or not producing a clear result

His indecisive manner left the team waiting for direction.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · unable to make decisions,... irresolute hesitant waveringvacillatinguncertain inconclusive

Opposites

decisive resolute determined conclusive

Word family

Forms indecisively

Derived forms indecisivelyindecisiveness

Related forms decisive decide decision indecision

Etymology

From in- ('not') + decisive, from Latin decisus, past participle of decidere ('to cut off, decide'), from de- ('off') + caedere ('to cut').

decidere Latin caedere Latin *kh₂eyd- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Cause, Change & Process Word Formation & Derivatives

# indecisive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv
**IPA (UK):** ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv

## Meanings
1. unable to make decisions, or not producing a clear result

## Examples
- His indecisive manner left the team waiting for direction.

## Synonyms
- irresolute
- hesitant
- wavering
- vacillating
- uncertain
- inconclusive

## Antonyms
- decisive
- resolute
- determined
- conclusive

## Derived Forms
- indecisively
- indecisiveness

## Related Forms
- decisive
- decide
- decision
- indecision

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: decidere
- Root: caedere
- Root: *kh₂eyd-

## Etymology
From in- ('not') + decisive, from Latin decisus, past participle of decidere ('to cut off, decide'), from de- ('off') + caedere ('to cut').

## AI Etymology
indecisive comes from in- ('not') + decisive, from Latin decisus, past participle of decidere ('to cut off, decide'), from de- ('off') + caedere ('to cut'). Morphologically, the prefixed shape matters: the initial element belongs to the recorded formation and helps explain the modern form's surface analysis. In present English, the adjective sense is "unable to make decisions, or not producing a clear result", so the historical development ends in a clearly identifiable modern dictionary use. The same base also appears in related forms such as decisive, decide, decision, and indecision, and in derivatives such as indecisively and indecisiveness. Its semantic neighborhood includes irresolute, hesitant, wavering, and vacillating, which helps locate the modern sense without adding a separate etymological claim. The named historical forms include Latin decidere, Latin caedere, and Proto-Indo-European *kh₂eyd-.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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