as in hesitated
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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Recent Examples of dithered
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
Ao Tanaka should not have dithered and conceded the second set-piece so late into injury time, while the backline should have been more alert to the second ball.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Matthew J. Palm, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Ao Tanaka should not have dithered and conceded the second set-piece so late into injury time, while the backline should have been more alert to the second ball.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dithered
Verb
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Even then, his father, Chris Oettinger, hesitated to believe his Olympic dreams would become a reality — until the roster was announced last month.—
Lia Assimakopoulos
Dallas Stars,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Asked if this was a statement game, Dahlin hesitated.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And it’s directed by Karim Aïnouz, a Brazilian director who once made the heated, moving dramas Madame Satan and The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão but in recent years has faltered with works like the disastrous Firebrand and the atmospheric but tedious Motel Destino.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 Feb. 2026
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The experience is reminiscent of the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, when another heavy favorite for gold, Nathan Chen, faltered in the short program of the men’s event and finished 17th.—
Alice Park,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dithered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dithered. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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