Skip to content

titubante

hesitant

adjective tee-too-BAHN-teh Rare
Mind & Emotions Attitudes

Origin: From Latin titubans, present participle of titubare (to stagger, to hesitate).

Also means

wavering

Usage Note

Titubante describes someone who hesitates or is uncertain about a decision — rimase titubante (he remained hesitant). It is a single-ending adjective; the plural is titubanti. The related verb titubare and noun titubanza (hesitation) share the same root. It implies a moment of wavering rather than chronic indecision.

Examples

"Era titubante prima di rispondere."

Natural Translation

She was hesitant before answering.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Italian by topic