Meanings
nounvaccine hesitancy (uncountable)
- uncountableReluctance to get vaccinated, often leading to refusal to be vaccinated.
Vaccine hesitancy is an emerging term in the discourse on determinants of vaccine acceptance. Vaccine hesitancy may explain why uptake of a vaccine or immunization programme in a community is lower than would be expected in the context of the information given and services available.
2016, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Vaccine Safety Communication Guide for Immunization Programme Managers and National Regulatory Authorities, page 12
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 疫苗猶豫 /疫苗犹豫, 疫苗犹豫
- 疫苗猶豫 /疫苗犹豫 (yìmiáo yóuyù)reluctance to get vaccinated
- 疫苗犹豫 (yìmiáo yóuyù)reluctance to get vaccinated
Dutch vaccinatietwijfel, priktwijfel
- vaccinatietwijfelreluctance to get vaccinated
- priktwijfelreluctance to get vaccinated
Finnish rokote-epäröinti
- rokote-epäröintireluctance to get vaccinated
Cite this entry
APA
vaccine hesitancy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vaccine%20hesitancy
MLA
“vaccine hesitancy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vaccine%20hesitancy. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vaccine hesitancy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vaccine%20hesitancy.
Source: vaccine hesitancy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.