indecisive
/ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv/adjective
indecisive is spelled I-N-D-E-C-I-S-I-V-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, indecisive means “Of a person, not decisive, not marked by promptness or decision” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in indecisive?
| Letters | 10: I-N-D-E-C-I-S-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 35,748th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is indecisive?
Indecisive appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 35,748th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce indecisive?
- /ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv/
Indecisive has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-indecisive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of indecisive
- more indecisive comparative
- most indecisive superlative
- undecisive rare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indecisive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a person, not decisive, not marked by promptness or decision.
They were all being very indecisive about what to wear to the party.
- 2
Of a contest, etc., inconclusive or uncertain.
The outcome of the race was so indecisive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indecisive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | indécis , incertain |
| German | unschlüssig, unentschlossen |
| Portuguese | indeciso |
| Spanish | indeciso, irresoluto, vacilante, inseguro, titubeante , incierto |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does indecisive come from?
From in- + decisive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).