Meaning & use
wavering
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Moving unsteadily from side to side, or changing in strength in an unsteady way.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a wavering flame, a wavering voice.
Patterns
- a wavering voice
- a wavering light
A wavering candle flame lit the cellar.
Her wavering voice showed how nervous she was.
The old man walked with a wavering step.
adjectivebefore a noun
Unable to make up your mind, or becoming less sure of an opinion or loyalty.
Grammar: Often describes support, loyalty or confidence: wavering voters, wavering faith.
Patterns
- wavering support
- wavering voters
The candidate tried to win over wavering voters.
His wavering loyalty worried his teammates.
After a wavering moment she accepted the offer.
Common combinations
- wavering voice
- He spoke in a wavering voice.
- wavering support
- The party counted on wavering support from the north.
- wavering voters
- Wavering voters decided the election.
- wavering light
- A wavering light moved through the trees.
- wavering resolve
- Her wavering resolve crumbled under pressure.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hesitant
- Hesitant describes a person slow to act out of doubt, but wavering can also describe lights and voices that are unsteady.
- unsteady
- Unsteady is purely physical or unstable, whereas wavering can also mean changing your mind.
- undecided
- Undecided states plainly that no choice has been made, while wavering suggests swinging between options.
Opposites
Word family
- waver verb
- to shake slightly or be unsure
- waverer noun
- a person who cannot decide
- waveringly adverb
- in an unsteady or doubtful way
Commonly confused: wavering or waiver? wavering or wavy?
wavering vs waiver
A waiver is an official giving up of a right or rule; it sounds like waver but is spelled with ai and has a legal meaning.
wavering vs wavy
Wavy describes a surface or line with curves, whereas wavering means unsteady or unsure.
Practice
Which phrase uses wavering in the sense of being unable to decide?
Choose one answer.
Voters who have not made up their minds are wavering in the sense of indecision. The other phrases describe physical appearance or movement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wavering”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.