Showing results for vacillates. Search instead for acrylates.

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.

Once he settles on the sofa beside me, McKellen vacillates between performative storytelling and genuine reflection.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

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 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

“He vacillates between being very intense and focused about his work and just really silly and fun,” Diarra Kilpatrick, who plays Paul’s wife, Clara, said in a video interview.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2023

The fate of books vacillates with the fancies of book-lovers, and the improvements of a later age.

From Amenities of Literature Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature by Disraeli, Isaac