oscillate

Meaning: to waver back and forth between positions, opinions, or states; to swing with a steady rhythm

oscillate in a sentence

How oscillate is used in real sentences:

The council continued to oscillate between strict regulation and voluntary reform.

The committee may oscillate between caution and urgency as new evidence emerges.

“For years, attendance at Bellwether's town council hearings seemed to oscillate between overflow crowds and rows of empty chairs, depending on whether residents believed speaking could alter a decision.”
— from the passage The Bellwether Revision

Synonyms for oscillate

Other words for oscillate — waver, vacillate and fluctuate — carry the same meaning.

Antonyms of oscillate

Words that mean the opposite of oscillate:

commit
settle
resolve

Where it comes from

From Latin oscillare, meaning 'to swing.'

Memory hook

An oscillating fan swings between two sides; an oscillating mind likewise wavers between two positions.

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