dither

American  

[dith-er] / ˈdɪð ər /

noun

1. a trembling; vibration.

2. a state of flustered excitement or fear.

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verb (used without object)

1. to act irresolutely; vacillate.

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

dither British  

/ ˈdɪðə /

verb

1. to be uncertain or indecisive

2. to be in an agitated state

3. to tremble, as with cold

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noun

1. a state of indecision

2. a state of agitation

Other Word Forms

• ditherer noun
• dithery adjective

Etymology

Origin of dither

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

Example Sentences

Gaye is a dithering stage mother, and the younger cast members, looking to Charlie for guidance, have a reluctant mentor on their hands.

From The Wall Street Journal

To dither and dally when the window of opportunity opens means to end up with one’s nose pressed against the glass of fate, gazing with regret at what might have been.

From Literature

Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson said: "Every single day, thousands of victims are denied the justice they deserve... the government cannot afford to dither and delay, they must crack down on unsolved crimes."

From BBC

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Salon