Meaning of hesitation in English

Table of contents

Noun
hesitation
Etymology
early 17th century: from Latin haesitatio(n)-, from haesitare (see hesitate)
Definitions
1. indecision in speech or action
Derived terms
2. a certain degree of unwillingness
Examples
- « a reluctance to commit himself »
- « after some hesitation he agreed »
Derived terms
3. the act of pausing uncertainly
Examples
- « there was a hesitation in his speech »
Derived terms

Famous quotes

« Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists. »
Blaise Pascal
« I know this president. And I can tell you that he cares deeply about the next generation of young women in this country - his daughters, and everyone's daughters. President Obama had the courage to stand with Sandra Fluke. Without hesitation, he defended her right to tell her story. »
Nancy Keenan
« Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age. »
Ernest Hemingway
« Our system provides for a winner to take office on January 20th, and he is expected to take command of the ship of state. Failure to do so, characterized by hesitation and indecision, will harm the national interest. »
Richard V. Allen
« Nearly all the powerful people of this age are unbelievers, the best of them in doubt and misery, the most in plodding hesitation, doing as well as they can, what practical work lies at hand. »
John Ruskin