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Definition of hesitation : 1. A faltering in speech; stammering.
2. The act of hesitating; suspension of opinion or action; doubt; vacillation.

Synonyms:

scruple, indecisiveness, disbelief, falter, faltering, incredulity, irresoluteness, hesitancy, suspense, perplexity, flicker, to-and-fro, oscillation, uncertainty, irresolution, distrust, suspicion, skepticism, question, doubt, disinclination, fluctuation, flutter, pause, tentativeness, swinging, hesitance, indisposition, indecision, timidity, wavering, decide, timidness, reluctance, delay, misgiving, swing, waver, shilly-shally, unbelief

equivocation

stalling, procrastination, vacillation

Usage examples:

• If children ask whether a given story is true or not, answer without hesitation, " yes." - "Study of Child Life", Marion Foster Washburne.
• His hesitation was at an end. - "A Thief in the Night", E. W. Hornung.
• My hesitation spoke for me. - "The Legacy of Cain", Wilkie Collins.