irresolute
Irresolute describes someone who feels stuck. A decision must be made, a plan acted on, but the irresolute person just doesn't know what to do.
Resolute describes certainty. When someone is resolute, things get done: plans are made and carried out. But add the prefix ir to resolute and you get its opposite. An irresolute person isn't necessarily a slacker — he or she just doesn't know what to do. Maybe it's confusion. Maybe it's a matter of waiting for better information to come along. Either way, if someone is irresolute, you'll need to be patient — or willing to nudge him or her into action.
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uncertain how to act or proceed“the committee was timid and mediocre and irresolute”synonyms:indecisivenot definitely settling somethingdiscouragedlacking in resolutioninfirmlacking firmness of will or character or purposeunstabledisposed to psychological variabilityweak-kneedlacking will power or resolutionantonyms:resolutefirm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determinationbrave, courageouspossessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinchingdecisivedetermining or having the power to determine an outcomepurposefulserving as or indicating the existence of a purpose or goaldeterminedcharacterized by great determinationfirm, steadfast, steady, stiff, unbendable, unfaltering, unshakable, unwaveringmarked by firm determination or resolution; not shakablefoursquarecharacterized by firm and unwavering convictionhell-bentrecklessly determinedspartanresolute in the face of pain or danger or adversity
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Vocabulary lists containing irresolute
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In this novella based on a Mexican folk tale, a poor diver rejoices when he finds an enormous pearl — but the treasure may not be the blessing it seems to be.
In the futuristic World State, the genetically altered citizens are happy and free of pain—but they cannot exercise free will. Learn these words from Huxley's influential dystopian novel, first published in 1932.