dither

[ dith-er ]
/ ˈdɪð ər /
SEE 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.

QUIZZES

DON’T VACILLATE! VANQUISH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

It’d be a real faux pas to miss this quiz on the words from August 3–9, 2020!
Question 1 of 7
What does “vacillate” mean?
to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.
to cause to be empty or unoccupied.
to assent tacitly; agree; consent.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of dither

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

OTHER WORDS FROM dither

dith·er·er, noundith·er·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to dither

tizzy, flap, agitation, babble, confusion, fluster, panic

Example sentences from the Web for dither

British Dictionary definitions for dither

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 forms of dither

ditherer, 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