Basic Details
Word: Hesitancy
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Slowness or unwillingness to act or speak, usually because you are unsure.
Synonyms: hesitation, reluctance, doubt, uncertainty
Antonyms: confidence, certainty, eagerness
How to Spell Hesitancy
Syllables: hes - i - tan - cy
Tricky part: The ending is ancy, not ency, and the second vowel is i. Hesitency is the common mistake.
Watch out for: hesitency, hesitansy, hesatancy
Memory tip: Hesitancy comes from hesitant, so the a stays: hesitant loses its t and adds cy.
Usage Examples
Example 1: There was a slight hesitancy before Tara agreed to sing on stage.
Example 2: His hesitancy cost us the quiz question; the other team pressed the buzzer first.
Example 3: Grandpa's hesitancy about the new phone vanished once he learnt to video-call us.
Fun Fact
Vaccine hesitancy is a term health experts use for delay or refusal of vaccines, and the World Health Organization listed it as a global health threat in 2019.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Choose the correct letters to fill in the blanks:
hes_t_ncy
a) i, e
b) e, e
c) a, a
d) i, a
Show answer
d) i, a. Think of hesitant: the i follows hes, and the a carries into ancy.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word hesitancy as used in the sentence:
Her hesitancy before the debate surprised us, as she usually speaks first.
a) uncertainty
b) doubt
c) confidence
d) reluctance
Show answer
c) confidence. Hesitancy grows out of doubt, and confidence is its opposite.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The new goalkeeper showed no cnatseiyh when he dived for the penalty kick.
a) hesitation
b) hastiness
c) hesitancy
d) tenacity
Show answer
c) hesitancy. The y in the jumble points to hesitancy; hesitation would need an o.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Hesitancy is the noun from which adjective?
a) humble
b) hasty
c) hesitant
d) heated
Show answer
c) hesitant
2. Which reply shows hesitancy?
a) Um, I think... maybe I'll try.
b) I have already finished it.
c) Yes, I will do it right now.
d) Count me in, straight away.
Show answer
a) Um, I think... maybe I'll try.
