Verbs for Decisions 🔒

Not all action is deliberate. Not all hesitation is weakness. And not all temptation is resisted.

This quiz covers instigate, jettison, salvage, tantalize, and vacillate, five verbs for triggering, discarding, rescuing, tempting, and wavering. Together they trace the arc of how decisions begin, stall, and sometimes fall apart before they are ever completed.

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What's in this quiz

Definitions

instigate
jettison
salvage
tantalize
vacillate

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instigate: to cause a process or event to begin, often one that leads to conflict or significant change
jettison: to discard or abandon something that is no longer useful or has become a burden
salvage: to save or recover something valuable from a damaging or failed situation
tantalize: to torment or excite someone with the prospect of something desirable that remains just out of reach
vacillate: to waver repeatedly between different options or opinions without reaching a decision

Simple Synonyms

instigate
jettison
salvage
tantalize
vacillate

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instigate: provoke, trigger
jettison: discard, abandon
salvage: rescue, recover
tantalize: tempt, tease
vacillate: waver, dither

Sentences

It was never clear which party had tried to _____ the dispute, but by the time management became involved, it had spread across three departments.
After three failed pilots, the team agreed to _____ the original concept entirely and start over from a simpler set of assumptions.
Working through the weekend, the team managed to _____ enough of the data to present a credible summary to the board on Monday.
The early previews were designed to _____ prospective buyers just enough to generate interest without revealing the full product.
He continued to _____ on the offer for so long that the other party eventually withdrew it and moved to a different buyer.

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It was never clear which party had tried to _____ the dispute, but by the time management became involved, it had spread across three departments.: instigate
After three failed pilots, the team agreed to _____ the original concept entirely and start over from a simpler set of assumptions.: jettison
Working through the weekend, the team managed to _____ enough of the data to present a credible summary to the board on Monday.: salvage
The early previews were designed to _____ prospective buyers just enough to generate interest without revealing the full product.: tantalize
He continued to _____ on the offer for so long that the other party eventually withdrew it and moved to a different buyer.: vacillate