Hesitator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who displays a tendency to pause before making decisions due to uncertainty or fear of consequences A person who often delays acting because of doubt or apprehension about the choices available Someone characterized by a lack of decisiveness, frequently weighing options before proceeding with any course of action
2. A person who delays action because they feel unsure or reluctant
3. Someone who frequently pauses to reconsider before making a choice or decision

Etymology: The word "hesitator" is a Latin form, and its English relative is more familiar than it looks. The Latin verb "haesitare" meant to stick fast, be stuck, or falter, and it grew from "haerere," to cling or adhere. The sense of physical sticking gradually shifted into the mental sense of being stuck in indecision, which is how English "hesitate" came to mean pausing in doubt. English "hesitate" was borrowed directly from Latin "haesitatus," the past participle of "haesitare," and the English agent ending "-er" was then attached to it. That suffix is the ordinary English way of naming a person who does something, so "hesitater" was formed as a plain English coinage on an imported verb, and the spelling "hesitator" follows the Latin ending more closely.

Synonyms: waiver, indecisive person

Antonyms: decider, assertive person