Definition
In a manner that involves hesitating; with pauses, doubt, and reluctance shown through hesitant behavior.
Etymology
Formed from the present participle 'hesitating' by adding the adverbial suffix -ly. This creates a more dynamic feel than 'hesitantly,' emphasizing the ongoing action of hesitating rather than the state of being hesitant.
Kelly Says
English speakers often have multiple adverbs to describe the same thing—'hesitantly,' 'hesitatingly,' 'reluctantly'—but they choose based on subtle shifts in meaning. 'Hesitatingly' makes the hesitation feel like an active process unfolding, while 'hesitantly' is more of a static quality. These distinctions matter to good writers.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
መምህርነት
me-mi-her-net
ARالعربية
بإحجام
bi-ih-jaam
CACatalà
ambiduguosament
am-bi-du-gu-o-sa-men-te
CSČeština
váhavě
va-ha-ve
DADansk
tvivlende
tvee-vlen-de
DEDeutsch
zögernd
tsoe-guh-rnt
ELΕλληνικά
αμφίβολα
am-fee-voh-lah
ESEspañol
con titubeo
kon tee-TOO-eh-boh
FISuomi
epävarmuuden
e-pa-var-muu-den
FRFrançais
hésitamment
e-zi-ta-man-muh
HEעברית
בני ספק
b'nei se-pek
HIहिन्दी
विचलित होकर
vi-cha-lit ho-kar
HUMagyar
késlekedve
kes-le-ke-dve
IDBahasa Indonesia
dengan ragu-ragu
den-gan ra-gu-ra-gu
ITItaliano
esitante
e-zi-tan-teh
JA日本語
ためらいながら
ta-me-rai-na-ga-ru
KO한국어
망설이며
mang-seol-i-myeo
MSBahasa Melayu
dengan ragu
den-gan ra-gu
MYမြန်မာ
စိတ်မကောင်း
seet ma-ka-ung
NLNederlands
wankelend
wan-kel-end
NONorsk
tvilende
tvee-len-de
PLPolski
nieśmiało
nie-smee-a-lo
PTPortuguês
hesitantemente
e-zi-ta-n-te-men-te
RORomână
reticent
re-ti-sent
RUРусский
нерешительно
ne-re-she-tel-no
SVSvenska
tveksamt
tveh-ksamt
SWKiswahili
kwa hesabu
kwa he-sa-bu
TAதமிழ்
சந்தேகம்
san-the-ga-m
TEతెలుగు
సందేహంగా
san-de-ha-nga
TLTL
nakapag-aalinlangan
na-ka-pa-ga-a-li-n-lan-gan
TRTürkçe
tereddüt ederek
te-re-düt e-de-rek
UKУкраїнська
нерішуче
ne-ri-shu-che
VITiếng Việt
do dự
doh-doo