Indecisiveness: English Vocabulary List

completely uncertain or left unresolved

"Plans are up in air."

"Our travel arrangements for the summer holiday are still completely up in the air."

having no idea what one should do, particularly due to an unexpected or upsetting change

"I am at loose ends."

"After losing his job unexpectedly, he found himself feeling quite at loose ends for several weeks."

used when one is uncertain, particularly due to being stuck between two alternatives

"I am betwixt and between."

"He felt betwixt and between, unable to decide whether to accept the promotion or stay in his current role."

used to refer to a situation in which the outcome is unclear until the last moment

"The election went down to the wire."

"The championship game remained incredibly close, going down to the wire before a winner was decided."

a situation in which it is hard to determine what is right or wrong or what one must do

"This issue has shades of gray."

"When considering the ethical dilemma, it became clear that there were many shades of gray involved in the decision."

used to refer to someone who is completely confused

"I am at sixes and sevens."

"After receiving conflicting instructions from three different managers, he was completely at sixes and sevens about what to do next."

the state in which one loses all one's confidence and willingness to continue doing something

"He gets cold feet and calls off the wedding."

"He gets cold feet and calls off the wedding three days before the ceremony."

the parts of something that are yet to be finished or resolved

"The plot had loose threads."

"The detective noticed several loose threads in the suspect's alibi that needed further investigation to be resolved."

to be in an unsatisfactory situation where one is unable to choose between two courses of action

"He fell between two stools."

"By trying to please both his parents and his friends, he unfortunately fell between two stools and satisfied neither."

to not now how to react to a situation as one is extremely frustrated or confused

"I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

"When the car broke down just before the important meeting, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the terrible timing."

in a situation where one has difficulty choosing between two alternatives because both are equally undesirable

"I am between a rock and a hard place."

"He found himself between a rock and a hard place, forced to choose between losing his job or betraying his friend."

to keep changing one's behavior or opinions in an abrupt manner

"Stop chopping and changing."

"The politician's tendency to chop and change his policy positions made it difficult for voters to trust his promises."

in a situation where both choices lead to an undesirable outcome

"I am caught between the devil and the deep blue sea."

"He was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea either he lost his job or he moved to another city."

‌in a situation that forces one to choose between two alternatives that both have equally undesirable outcomes

"She is on the horns of a dilemma."

"The manager found himself on the horns of a dilemma between cutting staff or reducing everyone's hours and pay."

to hesitate in making a decision or saying something

"Stop hemming and hawing and tell me."

"Stop hemming and hawing and just tell us whether you want to accept the job offer or not."

‌used to express that no decision is made or no opinion is formed about something due to uncertainty

"We do not know the result yet — the jury is still out."

"The jury is still out on whether artificial intelligence will ultimately benefit or harm the global workforce."

in a situation that one has to make an important and life-changing decision

"She is at the crossroads."

"After graduating from college, he found himself at the crossroads, contemplating two very different career paths."

in a state of uncertainty in which it becomes difficult for one to make a decision between two available options

"I am of two minds."

"She was of two minds about accepting the job offer, as it involved a significant relocation."