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

Derived Forms

• ˈditherer, noun
• ˈdithery, adjective

Other Words From

• dither·er noun
• dither·y 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

We cannot dither, we cannot just twiddle our thumbs, or wait and see.

From The Daily Beast

We dither, we argue, we do little, as the world moves rapidly.

From The Daily Beast

Global markets have been remarkably stable while the politicians dither, but time is running out.

From The Daily Beast

But unlike the epic drama of the 2000 debacle, this result feels like the big British dither.

From The Daily Beast

The planks at his feet had started to dither again, and practice told him that the vessel must be moving.

From Project Gutenberg

The universe goes into a cosmic dither when we slide into a berth in Hampton Rhodus.

From Project Gutenberg

Imagine anyone trying to get the Old Man into a dither—and getting away with it.

From Project Gutenberg

And the more perfectly made the engine, the less will the amount of this "dither" be.

From Project Gutenberg

I went all o' a dither, while I hardly knew if I were standin' on my heels or my heead.

From Project Gutenberg