Hesitantly is spelled with a silent "e" after the "t," which represents the sound /t/ followed by the sound /l/. The first syllable is stressed and pronounced with the sound /h/ followed by the vowel sound /ɛ/. The second syllable is unstressed and pronounced with the vowel sound /ɪ/ followed by the consonant sound /t/. The third syllable is pronounced with the consonant sound /l/ followed by the vowel sound /i/. The IPA transcription for hesitantly is /ˈhɛz.ɪ.tənt.li/.
Hesitantly is an adverb that describes a behavior or action characterized by hesitation, doubt, or uncertainty. The term emphasizes the lack of decisiveness or confidence in one's manner or approach towards something.
When someone does something hesitantly, they are typically displaying a pause or reluctance before proceeding. This may manifest as a hesitant individual taking longer to make up their mind, requiring additional time to gather their thoughts or summon courage before engaging in a particular action. Hesitantly suggests a level of caution or reservation, often stemming from uncertainty or insecurity.
It is important to note that hesitantly does not necessarily imply a lack of willingness or desire; rather, it suggests a momentary hesitation due to internal conflicts or doubts. For instance, someone may hesitantly accept an invitation because they feel unsure about certain aspects of the event, even though they ultimately want to attend.
The term can be applied to various contexts, including interpersonal interactions, decision-making processes, or expressing one's opinions. In conversations, an individual may speak hesitantly if they are unsure about the topic or uncertain about how their words might be received. Hesitantly can also describe physical movements, such as someone taking hesitant steps forward, indicating their lack of confidence or uncertainty in the path they are following.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "hesitantly" is derived from the verb "hesitate" which comes from the Latin word "haesitare". "Haesitare" is a frequentative form of the Latin verb "haerere" which means "to stick" or "to hesitate".