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Fitful vs Vacillate - What's the difference?

fitful | vacillate |

As an adjective fitful

is irregular; unsteady; characterized by fits.

As a verb vacillate is

to sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.

fitful

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Irregular; unsteady; characterized by fits.
    • His breathing was fitful .
  • *1605 , Shakespeare, Macbeth ,
    • [...] Duncan is in his grave;
    After life's fitful fever he sleeps well;
  • *1851 ,
  • *:The cabin lamp—taking long swings this way and that— was burning fitfully, and casting fitful shadows upon the old man’s bolted door [...]
  • *2012 , The Economist, The economy: Don’t say “green shoots”
  • *:So fitful has Britain’s economy been that any good news is understandably snatched at.

    • Derived terms

    * fitfully * fitfulness

    vacillate

    English

    Verb

    (vacillat)
  • To sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate.
  • * 1910:
    • Its [the barometer's] normal register in the Paumotus [the Tuamotus] was 29.90, and it was quite customary to see it vacillate between 29.85 and 30.00, or even 30.05; [...]
  • To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.
  • * 2004: , Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage
    • On the streets of Berlin, Ruth and her compatriots vacillated "between hope and despair."

    Synonyms

    * (to sway from one side to the other) stagger * (to swing indecisively) blow hot and cold, waffle

    Related terms

    * vacillant * vacillating * vacillation * vacillator * vacillatory

    External links

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    Anagrams

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