1
as in reluctance
a lack of willingness or desire to do or accept something
sales figures for the month were up, as consumers began to overcome their hesitance about purchasing big-ticket items
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2
as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
she mistook my hesitance to mean I didn't like her poem, but I was trying to come up with appropriate words of praise
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Examples of hesitance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kelly has been critical of his party’s hesitance, until recently, to take a strong stand on border security.
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Karen Tumulty, Washington Post, 22 July 2024
These skydivers understand the hesitance to jump out of a perfectly good plane.
—Patrice Gaines, NBC News, 13 July 2024
Despite younger drinkers’ hesitance with buying beer and flat sales, Big Beer companies aren’t facing an existential threat.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 4 July 2024
By embracing cultural hesitance, joined economic focus, strict academic focus, community preservation and maintenance, and a cautious relationship with the government, Black conservatism provides a blueprint for sustained progress and empowerment.
—Shermichael Singleton, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for hesitance 
Karen Tumulty, Washington Post, 22 July 2024
These skydivers understand the hesitance to jump out of a perfectly good plane.
—Patrice Gaines, NBC News, 13 July 2024
Despite younger drinkers’ hesitance with buying beer and flat sales, Big Beer companies aren’t facing an existential threat.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 4 July 2024
By embracing cultural hesitance, joined economic focus, strict academic focus, community preservation and maintenance, and a cautious relationship with the government, Black conservatism provides a blueprint for sustained progress and empowerment.
—Shermichael Singleton, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for hesitance
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hesitance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Hesitance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hesitance. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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