dither

1 of 2

verb

dith·​er ˈdi-t͟hər 

dithered; dithering ˈdi-t͟h(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: shiver, tremble

the dithering of grass

—Wallace Stevens

2

: to act nervously or indecisively : vacillate

dithering about what to do next

There's no time to dither.

ditherer

ˈdi-t͟hər-ər 

noun

dither

2 of 2

noun

: a highly nervous, excited, or agitated state : excitement, confusion

The news of her arrival had us all in a dither.

dithery

ˈdi-t͟hə-rē 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• balance
• falter
• halt
• hang back
• hesitate
• scruple
• shilly-shally
• stagger
• teeter
• vacillate
• waver
• wobble
• wabble

Noun

• fluster
• fret
• fuss
• huff
• lather
• pother
• stew
• sweat
• swelter
• swivet
• tizzy
• twitter

Examples of dither in a Sentence

Verb

We don't have time to dither.

She did not dither about what to do next.

Noun

Grandma usually gets in a dither if I don't make my weekly call.

we were all in a dither while we waited for the test results

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Yulia Chaika Nadya Tolokonnikova isn’t one to dither. —Corey Seymour, Vogue, 20 June 2024

She’s slipped from being a rom-com queen to leading a procedural to dithering with a shift toward action in projects that have felt increasingly dinky and downmarket, considering what she’s proven capable of. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 24 May 2024

Noun

Democrats are raising alarms that Vladimir Putin could advance on Kyiv while Congress dithers. —David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024

And as the bodies pile up in the streets, the U.N. dithers with resolutions. —Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press, 3 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

variant of didder in same sense (with [dr̥] > [ðr̥] as in father entry 1, gather entry 1), going back to Middle English dideren "to tremble, shiver," of imitative origin

Noun

derivative of dither entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1819, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

dither

1 of 2 noun

dith·​er ˈdit͟h-ər 

: a highly nervous or excited state

the news had him in a dither

dithery

-ə-rē

adjective

dither

2 of 2 verb

dithered; dithering

: to act nervously or indecisively