as in hesitating
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 dithering
Besides, the rare earth industry is so cost-intensive that Lynas is even dithering on its new Texas facility despite the hundreds of millions secured from the Department of War.
—
Charlie Campbell, Time, 21 Apr. 2026
Neither of them is going to sit around dithering.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
There was no dithering, just a window of opportunity narrowing by the minute.
—Big Think, 23 Oct. 2025
Either technology can show an assortment of issues like banding and dithering patterns in fills, which vary from printer to printer and can even vary from one quality setting to another with the same printer.
—PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025
After a decade of dithering by state leaders, voters forced change last November with their landslide approval of Proposition 36, which reversed parts of Proposition 47 and made some theft and drug crimes felonies once more.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
Okonkwo was fortunate that another bout of dithering, this time as Karamoko Dembele raced through a wide-open Wrexham defence late on, didn’t result in Rangers adding a fourth.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Kudos for persistence, but slam the leadership dithering.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Charlie Campbell, Time, 21 Apr. 2026
Neither of them is going to sit around dithering.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
There was no dithering, just a window of opportunity narrowing by the minute.
—Big Think, 23 Oct. 2025
Either technology can show an assortment of issues like banding and dithering patterns in fills, which vary from printer to printer and can even vary from one quality setting to another with the same printer.
—PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025
After a decade of dithering by state leaders, voters forced change last November with their landslide approval of Proposition 36, which reversed parts of Proposition 47 and made some theft and drug crimes felonies once more.
—U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Sep. 2025
Okonkwo was fortunate that another bout of dithering, this time as Karamoko Dembele raced through a wide-open Wrexham defence late on, didn’t result in Rangers adding a fourth.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Kudos for persistence, but slam the leadership dithering.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dithering
Verb
-
Right now, Taylor said, both sides are hesitating.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Walgreens isn’t hesitating to close stores in parts of Chicago where theft is frequent and there are legitimate concerns about the safety of employees and customers.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, the company that made their name keeps faltering towards the point of no return.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
Most of that was driven by faltering corporation tax receipts.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dithering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dithering. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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