dither

[ dihth -er ]

/ ˈdɪð ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dither ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a trembling; vibration.

a state of flustered excitement or fear.

verb (used without object)

to act irresolutely; vacillate.

North England. to tremble with excitement or fear.

Nearby words

ditcher, ditchwater, dite, diterpene, ditheism, dither, dithionate, dithionic, dithionic acid, dithionite, dithionous acid

Origin of dither

1640–50; variant of didder (late Middle English diddere); cf. dodder¹

Related formsdith·er·er, noundith·er·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dithering

Despite a dithering Congress and a disdainful American public, the diplomatic doors opened.
Suddenly, Great Expectations for Iran-U.S. Relations|Christopher Dickey|September 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Such verbiage and dithering in the face of market mayhem helped Europe get into its mess in the first place.
Debt Crisis Lessons for Europe|Stefan Theil|August 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Fourth, Gordon Brown is a dour, dithering, dry, dislikeable loser.
10 Truths About the British Vote|Tunku Varadarajan|May 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Like Obama he faced accusations of dithering and cowardice, particularly from his great rival Theodore Roosevelt.
Obama's Wilsonian Moment|John Milton Cooper, Jr.|December 9, 2009|DAILY BEAST

The word "dithering" is beginning to be heard on this side of the Atlantic, too.
Europe's Continent Envy|Alex Massie|November 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Tom stood watching the ambulance whisk Murell off, dithering in indecision.
Four-Day Planet|Henry Beam Piper
He nodded to his dithering worship, and marched back slowly and calmly to his dinner.
The Yeoman Adventurer|George W. Gough
"I'm all dithering," panted Hattie, as Winnie pushed her forward to try first.
For the Sake of the School|Angela Brazil
His voice caught in a tight knot of strangulation; he was dithering and palsied.
Just Around the Corner|Fannie Hurst
A man will no' keep on dithering for what he kens he canna' get.
The Dop Doctor|Clotilde Inez Mary Graves

British Dictionary definitions for dithering

dither

/ (ˈdɪðə) /

verb (intr)

mainly British to be uncertain or indecisive

mainly US to be in an agitated state

to tremble, as with cold

noun

mainly British a state of indecision

a state of agitation

Derived Formsditherer, noundithery, adjective

Word Origin for dither

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dither

noun

verb (used without object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of dither

Examples from the Web for dithering

British Dictionary definitions for dithering

dither

verb (intr)

noun

Word Origin for dither