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

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.

Read more on 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."

Read more on BBC

The IMO understands the urgency of the moment while the U.S. dithers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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

Read more on 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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times