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)

dithers, present (3rd person singular) dithered, past participle, past dithering present participle

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

Derived Forms

• dithery
  adjective
• ditherer
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have dithered
  perfect
• has dithered
  perfect 3rd person singular
• am dithering
  progressive 1st person singular
• dithering
  participle
• has been dithering
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• dithers
  singular 3rd person
• is dithering
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been dithering
  perfect progressive
• are dithering
  progressive

Past

• had dithered
  perfect
• was dithering
  progressive singular
• had been dithering
  perfect progressive
• dithered
  simple
• were dithering
  progressive plural
• dithered
  participle

Future

• will dither
  simple
• will have dithered
  perfect
• will be dithering
  progressive
• will have been dithering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dither

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

Explanation

When you dither, you're flustered because you can't make up your mind about something. You might dither about what to do if your two best friends invite you to parties on the same night. The verb dither implies not only that you're having a hard time deciding about something, but that you're upset or agitated about it. You might say to your friend, "Don't just pace around and dither about what to wear! We're going to be late!" In the 17th century, dither meant "quake or tremble," and by the early 1800s it came to mean both "vacillate" and "be anxious."