Reverse Dictionary: HESITATE

ADJECTIVES
► ARGH hesitating, reluctant, unwilling, disinclined → 1813 Sc. & Eng. dial.
► BACKING AND FILLING irresolute; dilatory; hesitant; shifty → c1840 Eng. colloq.
► DACKER hesitating, uncertain, undecided; said of a person who can’t make up his mind, and to the weather when unsettled → 1887 Sc.
► DUBITATIVE inclined or given to doubt; expressing doubt or hesitancy; doubting, uncertain → 1727
► HAFFLING hesitating, indecisive; prevaricating → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► HAFFLY hesitating, indecisive; prevaricating → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► HAGGLY hesitant, stumbling, lacking fluency → 1866 Sc.
► HEIVY-KEIVY uncertain, doubtful, wavering, hesitating → 1874 Eng. dial.
► HESITATIOUS characterized by hesitation → 1657 obs.
► IFFING-AND-OFFING in a state of indecision → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► IFING-AND-ANDING hesitating → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► MAMMERING hesitating → 1581 obs.
► THARF of heavy countenance; lumpish; reluctant, unwilling; hesitating; shy; slow; forbidding, cold, unsociable → 1882 Sc. & Eng. dial.
► TITUBANT uncertain, doubting, hesitating, wavering → 1880
► VACILLANT uncertain, hesitating, wavering → 1521
► WAFFLING indecisive, hesitating, vacillating, shilly-shallying → 1847 Sc.& Eng. dial.
► WAFFLY hesitating, undecided, vacillating; weak → 1890 Sc. & Eng. dial.

ADVERBS
► FAINTLY with hesitation, not actively or energetically, coldly, half-heartedly → c1440 obs.
► FEARFULLY in a state of apprehension or uneasiness; anxiously; cautiously, with hesitation → 1586 obs.
► TITTER-TOTTER hesitatingly, waveringly → 1725

INTERJECTIONS & PHRASES
► HAW! utterance marking hesitation → 1679
► HAW-HAW! an expression of hesitation uttered repeatedly in an affected tone → 1834
► UMPH! expressive of hesitation, doubt, or dissatisfaction → a1568

NOUNS
► ANTRIMS doubts, hesitations → 19C Eng. dial.
► AUNTER a pretense, needless scruple, excuse, hesitation → 1703 Eng. dial.
► BACK-DRAWING reluctance, objection, hesitation → 1934 Amer. dial.
► BALANCE subjective uncertainty; hesitation, wavering, doubt → 1297 obs.
► BOGGLING delaying, unnecessarily hesitating → 1815 Amer. dial.
► CAFFLING hesitating, shilly-shallying → 1886 Eng. dial.
► DACKER 1. uncertainty, a state of suspense or hesitation; also used of unsettled weather; a lull → 1808 Sc. obs.
2. a hesitating step → 1923 Sc.
► HABBERGAW hesitation, suspense, objection → 1808 Sc.
► HACK hesitation in speech → 1660
► HAFFLE hesitation → 1863 Eng. dial.
► HAFTING subtle dealing, dodging, cavilling; holding off, hesitation, demur → 1519 obs.
► HAIVER ► HAIVERS ► HAVERS hesitation accompanied with a great fuss; a person who hesitates → 1902 Sc. (Bk.)
► HANG-BACK hesitation; a hanging back → 1898 Eng. dial.
► HANKER hesitation, doubt, regret → 1862 Eng. dial.
► HESITUDE doubtfulness, hesitancy → 1623 obs.
► HIFFLE-HAFFLE hesitancy, prevarication → 19C Eng. dial.
► IFING-AND-ANDING hesitation → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► IFING-AND-BUTTINGS invalid excuses; hesitation combined with unwillingness → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► MAMMERING a state of doubt, hesitation, or perplexity → 1532 obs.
► MAMMERY a state of doubt, hesitation, or perplexity; vacillation → 1578 obs.
► MANK a moment’s uncertainty, a hesitation; a pother, a fuss, a to-do → 1808 Sc.
► MIDGE-GO-MORRAH hesitation, doubt, excuse → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► TARTLE a hesitation in the recognition of a person or thing → 1825 Sc. obs.
► TAWEN hesitation; reluctance → 1905 Sc. obs. (Bk.)
► TITTERING hesitation, vacillation → c1374
► VACILLANCY vacillation → 1668
► VARY a hesitation or vacillation → 1739 obs.

NOUNS – PERSON
► HAIVER ► HAIVERS ► HAVERS a person who hesitates → 1902 Sc. (Bk.)
► HANG-BACK one who hangs back or hesitates → 1866
► HANGER one who hesitates or wavers → 1536 obs.
► WAFFLE-BAGS one who hesitates or vacillates; a weak, undecided person → 1889 Eng. dial.
► WAFFLER a weak, indecisive, vacillating person; one who hesitates; a ditherer; a laggard → 1819 Sc. & Eng. dial.
► WAFFLES one who hesitates or vacillates; a trifling, undecided person; a loafer, an idle sauntering person → 19C Eng. dial.

VERBS
► ARGH to be timid or fearful; to feel reluctant from timidity, to hesitate → 1725 Sc.
► BACK AND FILL to move hesitantly, to hesitate, to be irresolute → 1840 sl. orig. Eng. nautical
► BALANCE to waver, to deliberate, to hesitate → 1655
► BE ON THE BALANCE to hesitate, to be undecided → 1898 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► DACKLE to hesitate → .1825 Sc.
► DILLDALLY to delay, to loiter, to hesitate → 1908 Amer. dial.
► DILVER to loiter, to hesitate, to dawdle → 1900 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► DRILLY-DRALLY to waste time, to loiter, to hesitate → 1881 Eng. dial.
► DUBITATE to doubt, to hesitate, to waver → 1837 obs.
► GALAY to hesitate, to speak or act indecisively → 20C W. Indies sl.
► HACK to hesitate; to hesitate in speech; to stammer; to stutter → 1553 obs. exc. Eng. dial.
► HACKER 1. to hesitate in speech; to stammer, to stutter → 1787 Eng. dial.
2. to shuffle, to hesitate → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► HACKSLAVER to hesitate in speech; to stammer and splutter → 19C Eng. dial.
► HAFFER to speak stammeringly or hesitatingly → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► HAFFLE to hesitate; to speak confusedly; to falter; to stammer; to prevaricate, to quibble → 1790 Eng. dial.
► HAFFLE AND CAFFLE to shilly-shally → 1896 Eng. dial.
► HAFT to use subtlety or deceit; to use shifts or dodges; to haggle, to cavil; to avoid coming to the point, to hold off, to hang back, to hesitate → 1519 obs.
► HAGGLE to hesitate, to stumble → 1731 Sc.
► HAIVER to hesitate and make much ado about doing anything; to be lazy at work → 1902 Sc. (Bk.)
► HALT to hesitate → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► HAMMER to stammer; to hesitate in speaking → 1843 Sc. & Eng. dial.
► HAMP to stammer, to speak or read hesitatingly → 1796 Sc.
► HANG A LEG to hesitate or hold back; to be reluctant or tardy; to loiter → 1883
► HANG AN ARSE to hesitate or hold back; to be reluctant or tardy; to loiter → 1596
► HANG THE ARSE to hesitate timorously → 17C colloq.
► HANG THE GROIN to hesitate or hold back; to be reluctant or tardy; to loiter  → 1577-87
► HANG THE WING to hesitate, to show timidity → 1632 obs.
► HANKER to hesitate, to ponder, esp. to hesitate in speaking → 1873 Eng. dial.
► HAWK to hesitate, to hum and haw; to make much ado before doing anything → 1902 Sc. (Bk.)
► HEM-HAW AROUND to speak hesitatingly; to avoid giving a clear answer; to be indecisive → 1954 Amer. dial.
► LAIT to look for a word, to hesitate in speech → 1804 Eng. dial.
► MAFFLE to stammer, to hesitate → 1905 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► MAMMER to hesitate; to be undecided; to waver in determination → 1350 Eng. dial.
► PALTER to hesitate, to prevaricate; to play fast and loose → 1671 Eng. dial.
► SCOTCH to stop, to give up; to hinder; to hesitate; to deduct, to curtail → 1904 Eng. dial. (Bk.)
► STICK IN ONE’S THROAT to be difficult of expression; to cause to hesitate
► TARROW to tarry, to delay, to linger, to hesitate, to show reluctance → c1375 Sc.
► TARROW AT to feel or display reluctance; to show disdain or hesitation, to be pettishly unwilling to accept, to spurn, to refuse → 1768 Sc.
► TARTLE to hesitate, esp. to hesitate in recognizing a person → 1737 Sc. obs.
► THRIMBLE to fumble; to hesitate, to trifle → 1781 Eng. dial.
► UM AND AH to hesitate, to be uncertain → 2000 UK sl.
► VAREEZ to be doubtful, to hesitate → 1908 Sc.
► VARY to be uncertain, to hesitate → c1477 obs.
► WAFFLE to waver, to be uncertain, undecided, or hesitant; to vacillate → 1819 Sc.& N. Eng. dial.