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
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
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
-
Chamandy said that, because of the ambiguity associated with the tariffs, companies are still hesitating to change suppliers until the dust settles.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Nov. 2025
-
For now, Ian’s hesitating to tell Mike.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That reinforced the idea that inflation concerns should take a backseat to worries about faltering job growth.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
29 Oct. 2025
-
After faltering in the semifinals of the 2024 WNBA playoffs, Wilson and the Aces capped off a dominant postseason run Friday by sweeping the Phoenix Mercury with a 97-86 win.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
11 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dithering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dithering. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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