ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsHhesitate
ISEE/SSATeasy
hesitate
Meaning: to pause because you are uncertain
hesitate in a sentence
How hesitate is used in real sentences:
Liam hesitated before choosing an answer to the tricky question.
Nora hesitated at the diving board because she was unsure about jumping.
“Maya did not hesitate to write down the steps because the pattern was clear.”
— from the passage The Garden Below
Synonyms for hesitate
Other words for hesitate — pause, waver and falter — carry the same meaning.
- pause
- waver
- falter
Antonyms of hesitate
Words that mean the opposite of hesitate:
- proceed
- decide
Where it comes from
From Latin haesitare 'to stick or be uncertain'
Word parts
- here/hes — stick, cling
hesitate: hes (stick) + -itate (act repeatedly)
Memory hook
HE-SIT-ATES while deciding what to do.