- present tense form of vacillate (3rd person singular).
vacillates
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is closer to music than epic, a mesmerizing suite of songs that conveys Tennyson’s private sorrow as he vacillates from unbearable agony to precarious hope.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
When the conspiracy at the center of “The Chair Company” consumes the life of Ron Trosper, he vacillates between screaming fury and the type of validation that lights up his smile from the inside.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025
Meanwhile, Merritt vacillates between despair at the prospect of her eviction and elation when she dreams of returning to Poplar Boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
She vacillates between optimism and despair over Iran’s future.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 24, 2023
The conflict of diametrically opposing forces shows itself plainly in his attitude which vacillates between the stiffest formality and the easiest assurance.
From Poise: How to Attain It by D. Starke
