as in reluctant
slow to begin or proceed with a course of action because of doubts or uncertainty
he was hesitant about committing himself to the oversight of the project, which he knew would be long and difficult
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hesitant
Both Earley and Kellner spoke to a moment in the fall when Kellner was a bit hesitant to jump into the action at shortstop among the upperclassmen.
—
Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
A-list talent and directors were hesitant to work with the pair, sources say.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Downtowns across the country need to find solutions, experts warn, as dark storefronts can lead to a downward spiral, with companies hesitant to lease office space in vacant areas.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Additionally, when business confidence takes a hit, executives may be more hesitant to make acquisitions and do initial public offerings.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hesitant
Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
A-list talent and directors were hesitant to work with the pair, sources say.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
Downtowns across the country need to find solutions, experts warn, as dark storefronts can lead to a downward spiral, with companies hesitant to lease office space in vacant areas.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Additionally, when business confidence takes a hit, executives may be more hesitant to make acquisitions and do initial public offerings.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hesitant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hesitant
reluctant
Adjective
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While many of the key players in tech have been reluctant to join the brawl in a high-profile manner, the positions on different sides are laid out in a court case that Anthropic has pursued to get off the Pentagon’s blacklist.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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And offensively, Arizona — typically one of America’s most reluctant 3-point shooting teams — hit its shots.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hesitant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitant. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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