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Waver vs Sigh - What's the difference?

waver | sigh |

In lang=en terms the difference between waver and sigh

is that waver is to be indecisive between choices; to feel or show doubt or indecision; to vacillate while sigh is to express by sighs; to utter in or with sighs.

As verbs the difference between waver and sigh

is that waver is to sway back and forth; to totter or reel while sigh is to inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it; to make a deep single audible respiration, especially as the result or involuntary expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like.

As nouns the difference between waver and sigh

is that waver is an act of wavering, vacillating, etc while sigh is a deep and prolonged audible inspiration or respiration of air, as when fatigued, frustrated, grieved, or relieved; the act of sighing.

As an interjection sigh is

an expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like, often used in casual written contexts.

waver

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To sway back and forth; to totter or reel.
    • Flowers wavered in the breeze.
  • * Ld. Berners
    • With banners and pennons wavering with the wind.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • Thou wouldst waver on one of these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities.
  • To flicker, glimmer, quiver, as a weak light.
  • To fluctuate or vary, as commodity prices or a poorly sustained musical pitch.
  • To shake or tremble, as the hands or voice.
    • His voice wavered when the reporter brought up the controversial topic.
  • To falter; become unsteady; begin to fail or give way.
  • * 1903 , Bill Arp, From the Uncivil War to Date
    • ...and that when a man was in the wrong his courage wavered , and his nerves became unsteady, and so he couldn't fight to advantage and was easily overcome.
  • * 2014 , Jacob Steinberg, " Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals", The Guardian , 9 March 2014:
    • Although they believe they can overhaul their 2-0 deficit, they cannot afford to be as lethargic as this at Camp Nou, and the time is surely approaching when Manuel Pellegrini's faith in Martín Demichelis wavers .
  • To be indecisive between choices; to feel or show doubt or indecision; to vacillate.

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act of wavering, vacillating, etc.
  • Someone who waves, enjoys waving, etc.
    • I felt encouraged by all the enthusiastic wavers in the crowd.
    The Fourth of July brings out all the flag wavers .
    Johnny is such a little waver ; everyone who passes by receives his preferred greeting.
  • Someone who specializes in waving (hair treatment).
  • A tool that accomplishes hair waving.
  • (UK, dialect, dated) A sapling left standing in a fallen wood.
    • (Halliwell)

    See also

    * waiver

    sigh

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A deep and prolonged audible inspiration or respiration of air, as when fatigued, frustrated, grieved, or relieved; the act of sighing.
  • Figuratively, a manifestation of grief; a lament.
  • (Cockney rhyming slang) A person who is bored.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it; to make a deep single audible respiration, especially as the result or involuntary expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
    • , chapter=5 citation , passage=A waiter brought his aperitif, which was a small scotch and soda, and as he sipped it gratefully he sighed .
       ‘Civilized,’ he said to Mr. Campion. ‘Humanizing.’ […] ‘Cigars and summer days and women in big hats with swansdown face-powder, that's what it reminds me of.’}}
  • To lament; to grieve.
  • * Bible, Mark viii. 12
    • He sighed deeply in his spirit.
  • To utter sighs over; to lament or mourn over.
  • To experience an emotion associated with sighing.
  • To make a sound like sighing.
  • * Coleridge
    • And the coming wind did roar more loud, / And the sails did sigh like sedge.
  • * Tennyson
    • The winter winds are wearily sighing .
  • To exhale (the breath) in sighs.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Never man sighed truer breath.
  • To express by sighs; to utter in or with sighs.
  • * Shakespeare
    • They sighed forth proverbs.
  • * Hoole
    • The gentle swain sighs back her grief.
  • (archaic) To utter sighs over; to lament or mourn over.
  • * Prior
    • Ages to come, and men unborn, / Shall bless her name, and sigh her fate.

    Interjection

    (en interjection)
  • An expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like, often used in casual written contexts.
    • Sigh , I'm so bored at work today.

    Anagrams

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