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Glite Dictionary
⏸️ A pause 😔 Unsteady or weak
faltering

faltering

1 6.3
A short pause of uncertainty, often in speech or action
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔltərɪŋ/
translation icon : vacilación
  • During his speech, there was a brief faltering as he struggled to find the right words.

Examples

  • And the more BTC falls, the more, in my opinion, it's actually evidence of BTC faltering, or sorry, not of BTC faltering, of Binance faltering.

  • All in all, Arab Americans have, despite periodic falterings, maintained their course even amid shifting sands.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The article, by William K. Stevens, bore the title: "Evolution of Humans May at Last Be Faltering" and opened with the following lead sentence: "Natural evolutionary forces are losing much of their power to shape the human species, scientists say, and the realization is raising tantalizing questions about where humanity will go from here."

    Academic text (1995)

  • The student's slight faltering in confidence was evident when she hesitated to answer the question.

  • His faltering attempts to explain the project revealed his uncertainty about the topic.

Synonyms

hesitation
vsfaltering
110 2.8

A short pause before you speak or act because you feel unsure

refers to a brief uncertain moment in speech or action not always nervous
waver
vsfaltering
4 6.9

A short pause when someone shows doubt

focuses on short uncertainty in speech or action rather than decisions

Antonyms

confidence
203 2.2

A belief that things will turn out well

certainty
  • Literature
202 3.4

A strong feeling that something is true or will happen

How Long

silence
660 2.0
break
∞ 1.0
faltering
1 6.3
hesitation
110 2.8
pause
192 1.0

Surface Forms

faltering singular
falterings plural

Morphology

faltering = falter (transparent) = falter + ing

The noun is a standard gerund/nominalization of the verb 'falter' meaning 'an instance or act of faltering', which learners can derive from the base.

Etymology

The noun faltering is like a small 'stumble' in speech or action, where someone breaks or hesitates, so a faltering is a brief pause or moment of uncertainty.