Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

dither

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of dither

1 a state of nervous or irritated concern
  • Grandma usually gets in a dither if I donʼt make my weekly call
Synonyms of dither

fluster, fret, fuss, huff, lather, pother, stew, sweat, swelter, swivet, tizzy, twitter
Words Related to dither

bother, dudgeon, pique

alarm (also alarum), hand-wringing, panic

ado, agitation, delirium, distraction, furor, hysteria, uproar

nervous breakdown
2 a sense of panic or extreme nervousness
  • we were all in a dither while we waited for the test results
Synonyms of dither

butterflies, heebie-jeebies, jimjams, jitters, nerves, screaming meemies, shakes, shivers, whim-whams, willies
Words Related to dither

cold sweat, creeps, fidgets, goose bumps

agitation, anxiety, fear, hysteria, uneasiness

frazzle, nervous breakdown

edginess, jumpiness, skittishness
Near Antonyms of dither

aplomb, calm, composure, equanimity, imperturbability, self-possession, tranquillity (or tranquility)

dither

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of dither

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
Synonyms of dither

balance, falter, halt, hang back, hesitate, scruple, shilly-shally, stagger, teeter, vacillate, waver, wobble (also wabble)
Words Related to dither

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 of dither

decide

budge, stir

advance, continue
Antonyms of dither

dive (in), plunge (in)

Learn More about dither

  1. See words that rhyme with dither Dictionary: Definition of 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 comments hide comments

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

emote

to express emotion in a dramatic way

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. crosshair Roger Stone posts controversial photo

  2. feckless Former RNC chair derides Trump

  3. emergency, national emergency Trump declares crisis over wall

SEE ALL

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

Ask the Editors

Word Games