Hesitantly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that reflects uncertainty or doubt, an action was executed with reluctance and pause
2. An action was carried out in a way that indicated pause and indecision, demonstrating a lack of confidence
3. Performing an action while showing signs of second thoughts and caution

Etymology: "Hesitantly" is a plain formation: the adjective "hesitant" plus the suffix "-ly." The adjective came into English from Latin "haesitans," the present participle of "haesitare," meaning to stick fast or stammer, a frequentative of "haerere," to cling or stick. So the root idea is physical adhesion: something stuck in place and unable to move on. The Latin sense moved from stuck to stalled, and from stalled to uncertain. A person who cannot move forward because of doubt is, in effect, stuck, which is why the same family of words carried both the sense of a stammering speaker and the sense of a wavering mind. English "hesitate" followed the same path, and "hesitant" emerged from it as the adjective describing someone in that state. The suffix "-ly" comes from Old English "-līc," meaning having the form or appearance of, which over time became the regular way to turn an adjective into an adverb describing manner. Attaching it to "hesitant" gives the sense of acting in the manner of someone who is uncertain.

Synonyms: tentatively, uncertainly

Antonyms: confidently, decisively