What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
vacillate
Example
She vacillated between ordering the chicken or the fish for dinner. [vacillated: verb]
Example
The politician's stance on the issue vacillated several times during the campaign. [vacillated: past tense]
oscillate
Example
The fan oscillated back and forth, cooling the entire room. [oscillated: verb]
Example
The company's profits have been oscillating between gains and losses for the past year. [oscillating: present participle]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Oscillate is more commonly used than vacillate in scientific or technical contexts, while vacillate is more commonly used in everyday language to describe indecision or uncertainty in people.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between vacillate and oscillate?
Both vacillate and oscillate are formal words, but oscillate may be more commonly used in technical or scientific writing due to its specific meaning in those fields.
