Shilly-shallying — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective

Meaning & Definition of Shilly-shallying

Shilly-shallying (verb)

  1. to show hesitation or lack of decisiveness or resolution
  2. dawdle

Shilly-shallying (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action

    "fortunately, during the crisis there was no shilly-shallying on the part of the president"

    similar: faltering, fence-sitting, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, irresolution, pause, shilly-shally, vacillation, wavering, wobbling
    related: delay, hawing, procrastination, waiting, arrière-pensée, misgiving, second thought, consideration, debate, deliberation, doubt, incertitude, indecisiveness, indetermination, uncertainness, uncertainty, avoidance, equivocation, aversion, disinclination, indisposition, reluctance, unwillingness, faintheartedness, shyness, timidity, timidness
    near: certainty, certitude, confidence, decisiveness, determination, firmness, resoluteness, resolution, sureness, alacrity, eagerness, readiness

Shilly-shallying (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in vacillating, wavering

    similar: ambivalent, hesitating, shaky, shilly-shally, vacillating, wavering, aimless, arbitrary, desultory, erratic, haphazard, hit-or-miss, irregular, random, scattered, slapdash, stray, dicey, undependable, unreliable, untrustworthy, capricious, changeable, changeful, fickle, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconsistent, inconstant, mercurial, mutable, skittish, temperamental, uncertain, unpredictable, unsettled, unstable, unsteady, variable, volatile, adaptable, mobile, protean, versatile
    opposite: certain, changeless, constant, immutable, invariable, predictable, settled, stable, stationary, steady, unchangeable, unchanging, unvarying, equable, even, uniform, abiding, durable, lasting, permanent, persistent, dependable, reliable, sure, tried, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trusty

Shilly-shallying (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: balancing, dithering, faltering, halting, hanging back, hesitating, scrupling, staggering, teetering, vacillating, wavering, wobbling
    related: hawing, hemming, dallying, dawdling, delaying, lingering, pausing, procrastinating, waiting, backing down, chickening (out), considering, debating, deliberating, pondering, weighing, oscillating, swaying, equivocating, hedging, pussyfooting, waffling
    opposite: diving (in), plunging (in)
    near: deciding, budging, stirring, advancing, continuing

  2. 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"

    similar: crawling, creeping, dallying, dawdling, delaying, diddling, dillydallying, dragging, lagging, lingering, loitering, lollygagging, moping, poking, tarrying, dragging one's feet, dropping behind, falling behind, hanging fire, marking time, taking one's time
    related: fiddling (around), fooling around, messing around, monkeying (around), playing, pottering (around), puttering (around), trifling, hanging (around or out), idling, loafing, lolling, lounging, ambling, easing, inching, lumbering, plodding, sauntering, shuffling, staggering, strolling, decelerating, slowing (down or up), filibustering, procrastinating, stalling, temporizing
    opposite: barreling, bolting, careering, coursing, dashing, flying, hastening, hotfooting (it), hurrying, racing, ripping, rocketing, running, rushing, scooting, scudding, scurrying, speeding, tearing, whirling, whisking, whizzing, zipping
    near: bowling, breezing, darting, humping, hurtling, hustling, scrambling, stampeding, galloping, jogging, running, sprinting, trotting, accelerating, quickening, speeding (up), catching up, fast-forwarding, outpacing, outrunning, outstripping, overtaking

Related Entry: Shilly-shally (verb)

Shilly-shally is a different word from Shilly-shallying. The synonyms below are for shilly-shally, not for shilly-shallying.

  1. 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"

    similar: balance, dither, falter, halt, hang back, hesitate, scruple, stagger, teeter, vacillate, waver, wobble
    related: haw, hem, dally, dawdle, delay, linger, pause, procrastinate, wait, back down, chicken (out), consider, debate, deliberate, ponder, weigh, oscillate, sway, equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, waffle
    opposite: dive (in), plunge (in)
    near: decide, budge, stir, advance, continue

  2. 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"

    similar: crawl, creep, dally, dawdle, delay, diddle, dillydally, drag, lag, linger, loiter, lollygag, mope, poke, tarry, drag one's feet, drop behind, fall behind, hang fire, mark time, take one's time
    related: fiddle (around), fool around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, amble, ease, inch, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stagger, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up), filibuster, procrastinate, stall, temporize
    opposite: barrel, bolt, career, course, dash, fly, hasten, hotfoot (it), hurry, race, rip, rocket, run, rush, scoot, scud, scurry, speed, tear, whirl, whisk, whiz, zip
    near: bowl, breeze, dart, hump, hurtle, hustle, scramble, stampede, gallop, jog, run, sprint, trot, accelerate, quicken, speed (up), catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Shilly-shallying

The most common words with a similar meaning to Shilly-shallying:

faltering, fence-sitting, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, irresolution, pause, shilly-shally, vacillation, wavering, wobbling, ambivalent, hesitating, shaky, vacillating, aimless, arbitrary, desultory, erratic, haphazard, hit-or-miss, irregular, random, scattered, slapdash, stray, dicey, undependable, unreliable, untrustworthy, capricious, changeable, changeful, fickle, flickery, fluctuating, fluid, inconsistent, inconstant

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Shilly-shallying

Words with the opposite meaning of Shilly-shallying:

certain, changeless, constant, immutable, invariable, predictable, settled, stable, stationary, steady, unchangeable, unchanging, unvarying, equable, even, uniform, abiding, durable, lasting, permanent, persistent, dependable, reliable, sure, tried, tried-and-true, true, trustworthy, trusty, diving (in)

Related Words for Shilly-shallying

delay, hawing, procrastination, waiting, arrière-pensée, misgiving, second thought, consideration, debate, deliberation, doubt, incertitude, indecisiveness, indetermination, uncertainness, uncertainty, avoidance, equivocation, aversion, disinclination, indisposition, reluctance, unwillingness, faintheartedness, shyness, timidity, timidness, hemming, pausing, procrastinating

Near Antonyms of Shilly-shallying

certainty, certitude, confidence, decisiveness, determination, firmness, resoluteness, resolution, sureness, alacrity, eagerness, readiness, deciding, budging, stirring, advancing, continuing, bowling, breezing, darting, humping, hurtling, hustling, scrambling, stampeding, galloping, jogging, sprinting, trotting, accelerating

Word Forms of Shilly-shallying

Inflections: shilly-shallied

Origin & Etymology of Shilly-shallying

First known use: 1754

Frequently Asked Questions about Shilly-shallying

What does "Shilly-shallying" mean?

"Shilly-shallying" means to show hesitation or lack of decisiveness or resolution. As an a verb, a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: to show hesitation or lack of decisiveness or resolution. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Shilly-shallying"?

Other words for "Shilly-shallying" include faltering, fence-sitting, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, irresolution and pause. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Shilly-shallying" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Shilly-shallying"?

There are 152 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Shilly-shallying". Common alternatives include faltering, fence-sitting, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, indecision, irresolution, pause, shilly-shally and vacillation.

What is the opposite of "Shilly-shallying"?

Antonyms of "Shilly-shallying" include certain, changeless, constant, immutable, invariable, predictable, settled and stable. Near antonyms include certainty, certitude, confidence and decisiveness.

How do you use "Shilly-shallying" in a sentence?

Examples of "Shilly-shallying" in a sentence: "fortunately, during the crisis there was no shilly-shallying on the part of the president"; "I didn't shilly-shally but instead raced to the hospital as soon as I heard the news"; "with dinner guests due in two hours, there was no time to shilly-shally in front of the TV set".

Is "Shilly-shallying" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Shilly-shallying" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

What is the origin of the word "Shilly-shallying"?

First known use: 1754.

What is another word for "Shilly-shallying" meaning "a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action"?

When "Shilly-shallying" (noun) means a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action, synonyms include faltering, fence-sitting, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation and indecision.