Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

dither

play
verb dith·er \ˈdi-thər\

Definition of dither

dithered

;

dithering

play \-th(ə-)riŋ\
  1. intransitive verb

  2. 1 :  shiver, tremble the dithering of grass — Wallace Stevens

  3. 2 :  to act nervously or indecisively :  vacillate dithering about what to do next There's no time to dither.

ditherer

play \-thər-ər\ noun

See dither defined for English-language learners

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time
istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz
image2144101468
Better Ways to Say "This Sucks"
alt-594ab41a604d2
Trending: Kim and Kanye Might Have Hired a Surrogate Mother

Examples of dither in a Sentence

  1. We don't have time to dither.

  2. She did not dither about what to do next.

Origin and Etymology of dither

Middle English didderen


First Known Use: 15th century

dither Synonyms

Synonyms
balance, hesitate, falter, halt, hang back, scruple, shilly-shally, stagger, teeter, vacillate, waver, wobble (also wabble)
Antonyms
dive (in), plunge (in)
Related Words
haw, hem; dally, dawdle, delay, linger, pause, procrastinate, wait; back down, chicken (out); consider, debate, deliberate, ponder, weigh; oscillate, sway; equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, waffle
Near Antonyms
decide; budge, stir; advance, continue
2

dither

noun dith·er

Definition of dither

  1. :  a highly nervous, excited, or agitated state :  excitement, confusion The news of her arrival had us all in a dither.

dithery

play \ˈdi-thə-rē\ adjective

See dither defined for English-language learners

See dither defined for kids

Examples of dither in a Sentence

  1. Grandma usually gets in a dither if I don't make my weekly call.

  2. we were all in a dither while we waited for the test results

Origin and Etymology of dither

see 1dither


First Known Use: 1819

dither Synonyms

Synonyms
fret, fluster, fuss, huff, lather, pother, stew, sweat, swelter, swivet, tizzy, twitter
Related Words
bother, dudgeon, pique; alarm (also alarum), hand-wringing, panic; ado, agitation, delirium, distraction, furor, hysteria, uproar; nervous breakdown
Near Antonyms
aplomb, calm, composure, equanimity, imperturbability, self-possession, tranquillity (or tranquility)

DITHER Defined for English Language Learners

dither

play
verb

Definition of dither for English Language Learners

  • : to delay taking action because you are not sure about what to do

dither

noun

Definition of dither for English Language Learners

  • : a very nervous, confused, or excited state

DITHER Defined for Kids

dither

play
noun dith·er \ˈdi-thər\

Definition of dither for Students

  1. :  a very nervous or excited state The bride's parents were all in a dither.

Learn More about dither

  1. See words that rhyme with dither Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dither Spanish Central: Translation of dither Nglish: Translation of dither for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up dither? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

bilious

play

of or relating to bile

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

  2. zealot A fanatical partisan

  3. stonewall to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

  4. scurrilous Containing obscenities, abuse, or slander

  5. depose That word might not mean what you think it means.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

dither

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
  • Which is a synonym of garner?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image2144101468
That Sucks Word Alternatives

Your day is the worst. Your vocabulary is the best.

alt-5931949575ca5
'All the Feels,' All the Time

Once more, with 'feels'

alt-59480e09b8844
A Pineapple Is An Apple (Kind Of)

Pineapple once had a different, more internationally common name.

alt-594938b88b98e
Read This to Get 'Smart'

A thinking person's guide

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

istock-refers-to-this-as-a-tumble-of-strawberries-which-sounded-pretty-nice-to-us
June 2017 Words of the Day Quiz

Summer's first WOTD quiz.

Take the quiz
alt-5941ad7527c3c
Yearbook Superlatives Quiz

Is that your picture under "Largest Vocabulary"?

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game
Examples: dither in a Sentence