"hesitance" meaning in English

See hesitance in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: hesitances [plural], hæsitancy [alternative], hesitancy [alternative]
Etymology: Etymology tree Latin haereō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -tō ▲ Latin -tō Latin -itō Latin -titō Latin haesitō Latin haesitāns Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin haesitantiabor. English hesitance Borrowed from Latin haesitantia. Etymology templates: {{etymon|en|:bor|la:haesitantia<ref:<span class="cited-source">“hesitance, n.”, in <cite>OED Online ⁠</cite>, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.</span>>|text=+|tree=1}} Etymology tree Latin haereō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -tō ▲ Latin -tō Latin -itō Latin -titō Latin haesitō Latin haesitāns Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin haesitantiabor. English hesitance Borrowed from Latin haesitantia. Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} hesitance (countable and uncountable, plural hesitances)
  1. The act or state of hesitating. Tags: countable, uncountable Synonyms: hesitation

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:haesitantia<ref:<span class=\"cited-source\">“hesitance, n.”, in <cite>OED Online ⁠</cite>, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.</span>>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin haereō\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-yéti\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti\nProto-Italic *-āō\nLatin -ō\nLatin -tō\n▲\nLatin -tō\nLatin -itō\nLatin -titō\nLatin haesitō\nLatin haesitāns\nProto-Indo-European *-yós\nProto-Italic *-ios\nOld Latin -ios\nLatin -ius\nLatin -ia\nLatin haesitantiabor.\nEnglish hesitance\nBorrowed from Latin haesitantia.",
      "name": "etymon"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nLatin haereō\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-yéti\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti\nProto-Italic *-āō\nLatin -ō\nLatin -tō\n▲\nLatin -tō\nLatin -itō\nLatin -titō\nLatin haesitō\nLatin haesitāns\nProto-Indo-European *-yós\nProto-Italic *-ios\nOld Latin -ios\nLatin -ius\nLatin -ia\nLatin haesitantiabor.\nEnglish hesitance\nBorrowed from Latin haesitantia.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hesitances",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hæsitancy",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hesitancy",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "hesitance (countable and uncountable, plural hesitances)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology texts",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages using etymon with no ID",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              4,
              13
            ]
          ],
          "text": "His hesitance was caused by bad past experiences.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              84,
              93
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1925, Robinson Jeffers, “Roan Stallion”, in The Selected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers, New York: Random House, published 1937, page 156:",
          "text": "[…] Then California, resting the rifle / On the top rail, without doubting, without hesitance, / Aimed for the leaping body of the dog, and when it stood, fired.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              55,
              64
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2016 May 6, Times of India:",
          "text": "No matter how much one denies it, there is always some hesitance when shooting an intimate scene. But an actor needs to shed inhibitions to look convincing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The act or state of hesitating."
      ],
      "id": "en-hesitance-en-noun-aec-N55G",
      "links": [
        [
          "hesitating",
          "hesitate"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "hesitation"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "hesitance"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:haesitantia<ref:<span class=\"cited-source\">“hesitance, n.”, in <cite>OED Online ⁠</cite>, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.</span>>",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nLatin haereō\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-yéti\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti\nProto-Italic *-āō\nLatin -ō\nLatin -tō\n▲\nLatin -tō\nLatin -itō\nLatin -titō\nLatin haesitō\nLatin haesitāns\nProto-Indo-European *-yós\nProto-Italic *-ios\nOld Latin -ios\nLatin -ius\nLatin -ia\nLatin haesitantiabor.\nEnglish hesitance\nBorrowed from Latin haesitantia.",
      "name": "etymon"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Etymology tree\nLatin haereō\nProto-Indo-European *-h₂\nProto-Indo-European *-éh₂\nProto-Indo-European *-yéti\nProto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti\nProto-Italic *-āō\nLatin -ō\nLatin -tō\n▲\nLatin -tō\nLatin -itō\nLatin -titō\nLatin haesitō\nLatin haesitāns\nProto-Indo-European *-yós\nProto-Italic *-ios\nOld Latin -ios\nLatin -ius\nLatin -ia\nLatin haesitantiabor.\nEnglish hesitance\nBorrowed from Latin haesitantia.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "hesitances",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hæsitancy",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hesitancy",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "~"
      },
      "expansion": "hesitance (countable and uncountable, plural hesitances)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with etymology texts",
        "English entries with etymology trees",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms borrowed from Latin",
        "English terms derived from Latin",
        "English terms derived from Old Latin",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Italic",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "Pages using etymon with no ID",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Pages with etymology trees",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              4,
              13
            ]
          ],
          "text": "His hesitance was caused by bad past experiences.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              84,
              93
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1925, Robinson Jeffers, “Roan Stallion”, in The Selected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers, New York: Random House, published 1937, page 156:",
          "text": "[…] Then California, resting the rifle / On the top rail, without doubting, without hesitance, / Aimed for the leaping body of the dog, and when it stood, fired.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              55,
              64
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2016 May 6, Times of India:",
          "text": "No matter how much one denies it, there is always some hesitance when shooting an intimate scene. But an actor needs to shed inhibitions to look convincing.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The act or state of hesitating."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "hesitating",
          "hesitate"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "hesitation"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "hesitance"
}

Download raw JSONL data for hesitance meaning in English (3.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-04-01 using wiktextract (7de0cf9 and 9452535). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.