in a dither

Idioms  

1. Also, all of a dither;. In a state of tremulous agitation, as in Planning the wedding put her in a dither, or He tried to pull himself together, but he was all of a dither, or She showed up in such a flutter that our meeting was useless. The noun dither dates from the early 1800s and goes back to the Middle English verb didderen, “to tremble”; in a flutter dates from the mid-1700s; in a tizzy dates from about 1930 and is of uncertain origin.

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Example Sentences

Center Theatre Group, in a dither after Michael Ritchie’s lackluster tenure, is undergoing a search for its new leader.

From Los Angeles Times

“I think when people are kind of in a dither — ‘whom are we going to get?’ — when a person comes in with that kind of cash I think that it can create an immediate bump,” said Richard Vatz, a professor of rhetoric and communication at Towson University in Towson, Maryland.

From Washington Times

So when director Robert J. Flaherty films his classic documentary “Man of Aran” nearby, the community, dazzled by the prospect of appearing in a Hollywood “fill-um,” is understandably in a dither.

From Los Angeles Times

It put people in their place so fast, I didn't have time to get in a dither about it.

From Washington Post

We did not get upset with Israel, Pakistan and India for joining the nuclear club, but we get in a dither about North Korea and about Iran’s nuclear program.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• afraid
• agitated
• anxious
• frightened
• hesitant
• jittery
• nervous
• panicky
• scared
• shy
• skittish
• tense
• timid
• uneasy