shilly-shally
1 of 4adverb
shilly-shally
2 of 4adjective
shilly-shally
3 of 4verb
intransitive verb
shilly-shally
4 of 4noun
Did you know?
Shall I? Shall I? When you just don't know what to do, it may feel as if asking that question twice will somehow help you decide. The 17th century saw the use of the phrase "stand shall I, shall I" to describe vacillation or indecision. By that century's end, the phrase had been altered to "shill I, shall I," most likely because people just liked the vowel alteration (that's the same process that gave us dillydally and wishy-washy). Soon after, the adverbial shilly-shally made the jump from slang to literature and writers began applying it as an adjective, a noun, and a verb as well.
Synonyms
Verb
- balance
- dither
- falter
- halt
- hang back
- hesitate
- scruple
- stagger
- teeter
- vacillate
- waver
- wobble
- wabble
Noun
- faltering
- fence-sitting
- hesitance
- hesitancy
- hesitation
- indecision
- irresolution
- pause
- shilly-shallying
- vacillation
- wavering
- wobbling
- wabbling
Word History
Adverb
irregular reduplication of shall I
Adverb
1700, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1734, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1754, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1755, in the meaning defined above
shilly-shallying 1 of 3
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- hesitation
- hesitancy
- pause
- hesitance
- delay
- indecision
- shilly-shally
- vacillation
- wavering
- deliberation
- irresolution
- wobbling
- uncertainty
- faltering
- fence-sitting
- waiting
- wabbling
- doubt
- procrastination
- reluctance
- indecisiveness
- hawing
- debate
- incertitude
- consideration
- indetermination
- second thought
- timidity
- unwillingness
- avoidance
- faintheartedness
- uncertainness
- misgiving
- equivocation
- indisposition
- arrière-pensée
- shyness
- disinclination
- timidness
- aversion
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- certainty
- certitude
- resolution
- determination
- confidence
- decisiveness
- firmness
- resoluteness
- eagerness
- alacrity
- sureness
- readiness
shilly-shallying
2 of 3adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- shilly-shally
- ambivalent
- hesitating
- wavering
- vacillating
- haphazard
- random
- shaky
- aimless
- scattered
- slapdash
- desultory
- stray
- arbitrary
- unreliable
- dicey
- untrustworthy
- uncertain
- volatile
- erratic
- undependable
- unpredictable
- capricious
- hit-or-miss
- inconsistent
- mercurial
- variable
- temperamental
- irregular
- changeful
- mutable
- fickle
- changeable
- fluctuating
- inconstant
- skittish
- protean
- unstable
- versatile
- fluid
- mobile
- unsettled
- adaptable
- unsteady
- flickery
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- invariable
- certain
- constant
- predictable
- immutable
- unvarying
- steady
- unchangeable
- unchanging
- stationary
- stable
- settled
- even
- changeless
- equable
- uniform
- persistent
- permanent
- abiding
- lasting
- sure
- durable
- trusty
- reliable
- true
- dependable
- trustworthy
- tried
- tried-and-true
shilly-shallying
3 of 3verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- hesitating
- faltering
- dithering
- vacillating
- wavering
- debating
- waiting
- staggering
- scrupling
- balancing
- halting
- pausing
- wobbling
- wabbling
- hanging back
- procrastinating
- hawing
- dawdling
- teetering
- lingering
- swaying
- delaying
- waffling
- dallying
- deliberating
- pondering
- hemming
- pussyfooting
- weighing
- equivocating
- backing down
- oscillating
- hedging
- considering
- chickening (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- deciding
- stirring
- continuing
- plunging (in)
- diving (in)
- advancing
- budging
Synonyms & Similar Words
- delaying
- lingering
- poking
- crawling
- dragging
- dillydallying
- dawdling
- strolling
- lollygagging
- creeping
- dallying
- moping
- tarrying
- shuffling
- lagging
- loitering
- lallygagging
- diddling
- stalling
- playing
- marking time
- hanging fire
- falling behind
- lounging
- staggering
- dropping behind
- idling
- trifling
- dragging one's heels
- loafing
- temporizing
- taking one's time
- dragging one's feet
- ambling
- sauntering
- procrastinating
- fooling around
- lolling
- inching
- plodding
- filibustering
- messing around
- decelerating
- easing
- lumbering
- fiddling (around)
- pottering (around)
- puttering (around)
- monkeying (around)
- slowing (down or up)
- hanging (around or out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- rushing
- hastening
- careering
- whirling
- scurrying
- hurrying
- tearing
- rocketing
- flying
- dashing
- bolting
- scooting
- scudding
- speeding
- zipping
- ripping
- running
- racing
- whizzing
- scrambling
- darting
- barrelling
- hurtling
- whisking
- hustling
- coursing
- barreling
- hotfooting (it)
- humping
- galloping
- bowling
- trotting
- stampeding
- breezing
- running
- jogging
- sprinting
- accelerating
- quickening
- speeding (up)
- outstripping
- overtaking
- outpacing
- outrunning
- fast-forwarding
- catching up