indecisive
Americanadjective
-
characterized by indecision, as persons; irresolute; undecided.
- Synonyms:
- hesitant, vacillating
-
not decisive or conclusive.
a severe but indecisive battle.
-
lacking definition; vague or indistinct.
the indecisive outline of the distant hills.
adjective
-
(of a person) vacillating; irresolute
-
not decisive or conclusive
Other Word Forms
- indecision noun
- indecisively adverb
- indecisiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of indecisive
Explanation
If you’re indecisive, you have a hard time making decisions. When you finally do make a decision, you may not be confident about it, or you might change your mind. Another definition for indecisive is not definitely settling something, like when election results are too close to call or some result has been called into question. Several historic American elections have had this happen in the recent past, and in that case, the election result remains indecisive until a recount has been finished or until one party gives a concession speech.
Vocabulary lists containing indecisive
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The Words of Nick Carraway
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Inherit the Wind
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"From a US perspective, I would say the US was operationally brilliant but the conflict was strategically indecisive," said Singh, now managing director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
It isn’t just that Starmer is perceived as an indecisive, failed leader who has now been poisoned by runoff from the Epstein scandal.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026
When that was over, the distributor was indecisive about when would be the best time to release a very small independent film.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025
“They’re indecisive because they’re unsure of their personal finances or they’re hoping interest rates are coming down.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
The sound would jag around in our air for an indecisive second before the balcony’s occupants accepted it and sent their own guffaws to riot with it against the walls of the theater.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
