dither

[dith-er]

noun

1. a trembling; vibration.

2. a state of flustered excitement or fear.

verb (used without object)

1. to act irresolutely; vacillate.

2. North England.,  to tremble with excitement or fear.

dither

/ ˈdɪðə /

verb

1. to be uncertain or indecisive

2. to be in an agitated state

3. to tremble, as with cold

noun

1. a state of indecision

2. a state of agitation

Other Word Forms

• ditherer noun
• dithery adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dither¹

1640–50; variant of didder ( late Middle English diddere ); dodder ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dither¹

C17: variant of C14 (northern English dialect) didder, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Opposition parties accused Morgan of "drift," "dithering" and "failure" in her first year on the job, claiming the "same old problems remain".

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It would rather binge-watch thousands of hours of trashy TV shows than deal with the dithering crew of space hippies to which it’s been assigned.

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He is dithering on whether to get in on the action and take credit for it, or avoid the risk of it all going sideways and being stuck with the consequences.

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The Royal College of Nursing has called for a "significant pay rise" and accused UK ministers of "dither and delay".

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Referring to the dithering over tariffs, the U.S.

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