SHILLY-SHALLY Synonyms: 253 Similar and Opposite Words

shilly-shally 1 of 3

verb

Definition of shilly-shally

as in to hesitate

to show uncertainty about the right course of action I didn't shilly-shally but instead raced to the hospital as soon as I heard the news

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to delay

to move or act slowly with dinner guests due in two hours, there was no time to shilly-shally in front of the TV set

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shilly-shally

2 of 3

a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action the construction project was once again delayed by the bureaucratic shilly-shally of regulatory agencies

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shilly-shally

3 of 3

adjective

as in shilly-shallying

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shilly-shally

Verb

And women who suspect their period pain is more severe than normal should not hesitate to speak with a health care provider, especially if symptoms are affecting their quality of life.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 July 2026
In the second half, Freese stepped off his line to control a ball, hesitated, stubbed his foot against the ground, and lost the ball.

— Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 7 July 2026

Definition of hesitate

Adjective

The time may have passed for the Kremlin to consider the White House ambivalent as to the fate of Europe.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
After all, the feature debut of Swiss director and writer Jan-Eric Mack features an ambivalent main character, namely a single mother who doesn’t fit neatly into categories of black or white and good or evil.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026

Definition of ambivalent

Verb

And once performance falters, customers are likely to lose faith in your brand.

— Brian Coyne, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Russell Henley also made a 4-under push on Sunday to finish 10-under, while Cam Young faltered in the final pairing with a 1-over round to finish 10-under as well.

— Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of falter

Verb

FireSat will help incident commanders get better information more quickly, and, unlike fire-spotting aircraft, the satellites can linger over a fire for days or weeks and aren’t hampered by high winds or smoke.

— Eric Niiler, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
The severe weather threat will linger for parts of the mid-Atlantic on Sunday, stretching from northern Virginia into southern New Jersey, with cities like Richmond, DC, Baltimore and Philly in the threat zone once again.

— Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 July 2026

Definition of linger

Noun

Sidewalk safety, a tale of two cities There is no such hesitancy with cities collecting roadway data.

— Wes Marshall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
The Iranian regime’s apparent hesitancy to resume in-person talks is a significant step back from the high-level talks that took place in Switzerland earlier this month following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the countries.

— Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 30 June 2026

Definition of hesitancy

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“Shilly-shally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shilly-shally. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of shilly-shally

verb

noun

adjective

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