Faltering

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Experiencing a lack of confidence or strength while moving or acting
2. Demonstrating indecision or instability in choices or actions
3. Pausing or stumbling as progress is made in physical or metaphorical movement ; displaying doubt and fluctuating commitment when making choices

Etymology: "Faltering" is simply the present participle of "falter" used as an adjective, so its history is that of the verb. "Falter" comes from the Middle English "falteren," which carried the sense of stumbling or being unsteady on one's feet, and its physical meaning of tripping or wavering came first. The sense of losing nerve or confidence grew out of that image of an unsteady step, so a faltering voice or faltering effort is one that wobbles the way a stumbling walker does. The adjective form adds the "-ing" ending to the verb, turning an action into a description of something in the middle of that action. A faltering economy or faltering courage is therefore one that is visibly beginning to give way, rather than one that has already failed.

Synonyms: hesitant, unsteady, wavering, failing, weak

Antonyms: steady, certain, confident, strong, stable