dither

[ dith-er ]

/ ˈdɪð ər /

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See synonyms for: dither / dithered / dithering / dithers 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.

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

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. 2023

How to use dither in a sentence

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
“We already have seen dithering in the immediate wake of the attack on the U.S. consulate,” says a European diplomat.
Libya Sacks Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur|Jamie Dettmer|October 8, 2012|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

Peter Beinart on why the left needs to stop the linguistic dithering—and win the only battle that can vanquish al Qaeda.
Cheney Was Right|Peter Beinart|January 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Presently he came running out of the scullery, with the soapy water dripping from him, dithering with cold.
Sons and Lovers|David Herbert Lawrence
Another fellow walking in his sleep and killing criss-cross Huns in his dithering dreams.
Air Men o' War|Boyd Cable
I was beginning to correct my first impression that Thrombley was a complete dithering fool.
Lone Star Planet|Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire
He nodded to his dithering worship, and marched back slowly and calmly to his dinner.
The Yeoman Adventurer|George W. Gough
Tom stood watching the ambulance whisk Murell off, dithering in indecision.
Four-Day Planet|Henry Beam Piper

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

dither

Origin of dither

OTHER WORDS FROM dither

Words related to dither

How to use dither in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dither

Derived forms of dither

Word Origin for dither