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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of dither
James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
In Diane Keaton’s dithers is all the strength of American women.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2025
Matthew J. Palm, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Neither of them is going to sit around dithering.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dither
Noun
But that counterintuitive ranking, in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican statewide in years, has Democrats in a dither and reform advocates once again saying that California needs to shift to a more representative form of voting.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
In Diane Keaton’s dithers is all the strength of American women.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
People shouted over each other as the performers dithered over ideas and raced around the venue.
—Matthew J. Palm, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Neither of them is going to sit around dithering.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dither
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dither
Noun
-
The onboard camera, sending video back to the remote pilot in real time, captures his panic.—
David L. Stern,
Washington Post,
31 May 2026
-
In the years following, Beijing funded or armed fellow communists in Vietnam, North Korea, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, causing panic in Washington and other Western capitals as the ideological struggles of the Cold War rippled across Asia.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Verb
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But at the last second, Pages pulled up to let Tucker make the catch, and Tucker hesitated before flailing after it.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
While their rivals started spending significant sums of money as soon as the 2024-25 season finished, Spurs wasted a couple of weeks hesitating about the long-term future of then head coach Ange Postecoglou before replacing him with Thomas Frank.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Throw it in a beach tote all day and top your outfit at night without fuss.—
Vanessa L. Powell,
Travel + Leisure,
23 May 2026
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Variety took a deep dive into the films to see what the fuss is all about.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
22 May 2026
Noun
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The same goes for people with a condition called gastroparesis, which affects stomach nerves and muscles, and those susceptible to medullary thyroid cancer.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
-
The NeuroMD devices are based on what the company refers to as Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) technology, which targets both motor nerves and sensory nerves.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
After faltering in last year’s Div.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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The Broncos faltered in the snow, the Nuggets floundered on the hardwood, and now the Avalanche fail on ice.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Rhodes celebrated with the crowd at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, while Gunther walked back up the entrance ramp in a huff.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Economic shivers give both the fits, and a pressured consumer has both well in the red so far this year.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
These insects and arachnids might startle you or send shivers down your spine, but there's no need to worry about these bugs—not too much, anyway.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
Day-to-day, sweat, humidity and friction are the routine wear-and-tear concerns.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
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Meanwhile, young founders are raising triple-digit millions without breaking a sweat.—
Richard Nieva,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dither.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dither. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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