Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hesitant

/ˈhɛzɪtənt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.41 in modern English

Syllables
hes-i-tant
IPA
/ˈhɛzɪtənt/
11
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Tending to hesitate, wait, or proceed with caution or reservation.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Latin haereō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -tō ▲ Latin -tō Latin -itō Latin -titō Latin haesitō Latin haesitānsbor. English hesitant Borrowed from Latin haesitans, present participle of haesitare (“to stick fast, to hesitate”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

more hesitant (comparative) most hesitant (superlative)

Derived Forms

hesitantly unhesitant

Frequently Paired Words

hesitance hesitancy hesitate hesitation hesitative

Synonyms

hesitating

Questions

How do you pronounce hesitant?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhɛzɪtənt/.
What does hesitant mean?
Tending to hesitate, wait, or proceed with caution or reservation.
Where does hesitant come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce hesitant

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hesitant”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhɛzɪtənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hesitant”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “hesitant” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.