Vacillate vs Waver: What’s the Difference?

The difference at a glance

Waver suggests physical or emotional unsteadiness — a flame guttering, a voice faltering, a resolve that might give out. Vacillate is more specifically about going back and forth between options: the vacillating person is caught between two choices, unable to commit to either. You waver under pressure; you vacillate between possibilities. Waver implies you might fall; vacillate implies you're oscillating. Both suggest indecision, but vacillate has a back-and-forth mechanical quality that waver lacks.

What does Vacillate mean?

verb · /ˈvæs.ɪ.leɪt/

To waver back and forth between different opinions, choices, or courses of action; to be indecisive or inconsistent in behavior.

Vacillate in a sentence

She vacillated for weeks before finally accepting the job offer.

His tendency to vacillate made it difficult to plan anything around him.

What does Waver mean?

verb · /ˈweɪ.vər/

To move back and forth with a quivering motion; to be indecisive between choices; to show signs of faltering in conviction or commitment.

Waver in a sentence

For a moment, her confidence wavered, and then steadied itself again.

He never wavered in his support for the cause, even when it was unpopular.

Frequently asked questions