dither 1 of 2

noun

Definition of dithernext
1
as in panic
a state of nervous or irritated concern Grandma usually gets in a dither if I don't make my weekly call

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2
as in butterflies
a sense of panic or extreme nervousness we were all in a dither while we waited for the test results

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

dither

2 of 2

verb

ˈdi-t͟hər How to pronounce dither (audio)
as in to hesitate
to show uncertainty about the right course of action we dithered all afternoon over whether to go to the park or to the movies and ended up doing neither

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dither
Noun
Viewers well versed in the ways of romantic fiction won’t be that surprised by how this little pas de quatre works out as Emile dithers and deliberates over each woman’s charms. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026 Europe, by Shah's reckoning, has used regulation to dampen digital assets rather than enable them, while the UK once again dithers over which way to jump. — Kjartan Rist, Forbes.com, 16 June 2026
Verb
But phase two of the program kept getting delayed, in part because Congress dithered on funding. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026 Sarah Finnane dithered mightily before deciding on this wild wallpaper for the new powder room. — Gary Thompson, Midwest Living, 5 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for dither
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dither
  1. panic
  2. nerves
  3. hesitate
  4. fuss
  5. shivers
  6. falter
  7. huff
  8. sweat
Noun
  • The aircraft plunged thousands of feet in two minutes, causing panic and forcing the flight to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • After roughly two days of investigation, police informed the public the entire panic was driven by a hoax.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of panic
Noun
  • Normally, such coordination is the nervous system’s job, carried out by little electrical signals traveling along nerves.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CT) imaging equips surgeons with a detailed view of bone structure, nerves, sinuses, and surrounding anatomy before a procedure even begins.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of nerves
Verb
  • Much of the film plays out in close-up as Alex watches, plays, thinks, hesitates.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • But the clearest lesson from Iowa is that states that engage early and set smart terms come out ahead, while those that hesitate watch the investment head elsewhere.
    — Jeff Danielson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitate
Noun
  • There’s something classic about a plate of buffalo wings in front of a TV playing football, and this gets you there without any fuss.
    — Danielle Bouchard, Martha Stewart, 26 Sep. 2026
  • For all the fuss the Edmonton Oilers have generated this offseason, the club will enter the 2026-27 season with a largely unchanged roster.
    — Janson Duench, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of fuss
Noun
  • The country’s steady release of AI models that are open-source, high-performing, and relatively cheap to build and run has been sending shivers through Silicon Valley and Wall Street.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Speaking to Julia Cunningham on her eponymous podcast, Adams says the moment when Cecile realizes her half-sister is the serial killer (while her mom was a plain ol’ one-off manslaughterer) still gives her the shivers.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 22 July 2026
Definition of shivers
Verb
  • Washington’s diplomatic efforts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine have faltered, with Moscow looking to up its defense spending next year.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • From 2019 to 2022, Solomon led an aggressive expansion of the bank’s consumer-lending business, which ultimately faltered and resulted in billions of pretax losses.
    — Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of falter
Noun
  • Devers walked back to the dugout in a huff.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026
  • Not everyone feels the same way, however, and some progressive parents and staff are in a huff.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2026
Definition of huff
Noun
  • But Haslem was dripping sweat after the Heat’s training camp practices this week at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
  • New Atlas recently covered an experimental smart ring developed at UC San Diego that goes beyond optical sensing entirely, analysing sweat for biomarkers including glucose and ketones.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of sweat

Browse Nearby Words

ditching
dither
dithered
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Cite this Entry

“Dither.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dither. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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