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HESITATION
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of pausing uncertainly
Example:
there was a hesitation in his speech
Synonyms:
falter; faltering; hesitation; waver
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("hesitation" is a kind of...):
pause (temporary inactivity)
Derivation:
hesitate (interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A certain degree of unwillingness
Example:
after some hesitation he agreed
Synonyms:
disinclination; hesitancy; hesitation; indisposition; reluctance
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("hesitation" is a kind of...):
involuntariness; unwillingness (the trait of being unwilling)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hesitation"):
sloth; slothfulness (a disinclination to work or exert yourself)
Derivation:
hesitate (pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Indecision in speech or action
Synonyms:
hesitation; vacillation; wavering
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("hesitation" is a kind of...):
indecision; indecisiveness; irresolution (doubt concerning two or more possible alternatives or courses of action)
Derivation:
hesitate (pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness)
Context examples:
The matter is too serious for any hesitation.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The great minister showed perceptible hesitation.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
‘If you think it really necessary,’ he answered, with some hesitation.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Mastering some hesitation, he answered, "Miss Oliver, I presume."
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
There was a little hesitation in Emma's answer.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
His objections, the scruples of his integrity, seemed all done away, nobody could tell how; and the doubts and hesitations of her ambition were equally got over—and equally without apparent reason.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
He coloured, seemed perplexed, looked doubtingly, and, after some hesitation, said,—Perhaps you mean—my brother—you mean Mrs. Mrs. ROBERT Ferrars.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
“Udolpho was written by Mrs. Radcliffe,” said Catherine, with some hesitation, from the fear of mortifying him.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
He saw my hesitation, and spoke:—The logic is simple, no madman's logic this time, jumping from tussock to tussock in a misty bog.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
Sir Walter, without hesitation, declared the Admiral to be the best-looking sailor he had ever met with, and went so far as to say, that if his own man might have had the arranging of his hair, he should not be ashamed of being seen with him any where; and the Admiral, with sympathetic cordiality, observed to his wife as they drove back through the park, I thought we should soon come to a deal, my dear, in spite of what they told us at Taunton.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
