vacillates

VERB

go back and forth

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dither fluctuate oscillate seesaw waffle waver

STRONG

alternate change hedge hesitate hover pause reel rock stagger straddle sway swing

WEAK

be indecisive be irresolute change mind fence-straddle hem and haw pussyfoot around run hot and cold shilly-shally whiffle yo-yo

Antonyms

STRONGEST

remain stay

STRONG

continue hold persist

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

Driven by a dark kineticism, it vacillates between contempt and gratitude at a velocity that catches my husband, my therapist, even me off-guard.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2024

When he isn’t mugging for Reed’s camera he vacillates between a stony-faced refusal to admit guilt and an approximation of remorse.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2024

The rhythmic language vacillates widely between insistent pulse and total freedom.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2022

Is it to be wondered at, if many a modern mother, in this predicament, vacillates between the two?

From Heart and Soul by Maveric Post by Mapes, Victor