Hesitances

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state of being indecisive or uncertain about something; a delay in acting or speaking due to doubt or uncertainty; the act of pausing before making a choice or taking action due to a lack of confidence or assurance
2. The experience of wavering or faltering in one’s thoughts or actions; moments of reluctance to make decisions or express oneself; interruptions in behavior based on fear or self-doubt
3. The quality of showing reluctance or uncertainty in decision-making; intervals of indecision that disrupt communication or actions; periods where hesitation affects one's ability to act decisively

Etymology: "Hesitances" is the plural of "hesitance," which was borrowed directly from Latin "haesitantia," a noun built on "haesitans," the present participle of "haesitare," meaning "to stick fast" or "to hesitate." The Latin verb is a frequentative form of "haerere," "to cling or stick," so its earliest sense was physical: something that clings, catches, or gets stuck. The idea of being stuck fast gradually shifted into the mental sense of pausing when unable to move forward. That shift is the heart of the story. A person who hesitates is, in the original image, snagged, like a foot caught in mud or a thought caught on a snag. English took the abstract noun from Latin and kept the sense of stalling, of a mind or will that will not go on. The plural "hesitances" simply counts separate instances of that stalling, each moment of wavering treated as its own event.

Synonyms: hesitations, pauses, delays

Antonyms: decisions, assertions