dither

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

Also spelled ditherin

US /ˈdɪðɚ/ UK /ˈdɪðə/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like thither /ð/ vs /d/

Freq #68409

Meanings

1

verb
To hesitate and be unable to decide what to do.

Stop dithering and just choose a restaurant.
2

noun
A state of nervous, agitated indecision.

She was in a dither about what to wear to the party.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a state of nervous,... fuss

Word family

Forms ditheredditheringdithers

Derived forms aditherdithererditheringditheringlyditherynondithering

Related forms dodder

Etymology

Variant of didder, from Middle English dideren (“to tremble”). Compare Middle English bididren, bididdren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to deceive, trick”). Alternatively, perhaps with expressive voicing from *titeren, from Proto-Germanic *titrōną. If so, then a doublet of teeter and cognate with Old High German zittarōn (German zittern) and Old Norse titra (Faroese titra, Icelandic titra). Alternatively an unrelated reduplicative onomatopoeia.

dideren Middle English *titrōną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# dither

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈdɪðɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdɪðə/
**Frequency rank:** 68409

## Meanings
1. To hesitate and be unable to decide what to do.
2. A state of nervous, agitated indecision.

## Examples
- Stop dithering and just choose a restaurant.
- She was in a dither about what to wear to the party.

## Derived Forms
- adither
- ditherer
- dithering
- ditheringly
- dithery
- nondithering

## Related Forms
- dodder

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dideren
- Root: *titrōną

## Etymology
Variant of didder, from Middle English dideren (“to tremble”). Compare Middle English bididren, bididdren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to deceive, trick”). Alternatively, perhaps with expressive voicing from *titeren, from Proto-Germanic *titrōną. If so, then a doublet of teeter and cognate with Old High German zittarōn (German zittern) and Old Norse titra (Faroese titra, Icelandic titra). Alternatively an unrelated reduplicative onomatopoeia.

## AI Etymology
Dither has the etymology Variant of didder, from Middle English dideren (“to tremble”). Compare Middle English bididren, bididdren (“to seduce, deceive”), from Old English bedidrian, bedyderian (“to deceive, trick”). Alternatively, perhaps with expressive voicing from *titeren, from Proto-Germanic *titrōną. If so, then a doublet of teeter and cognate with Old High German zittarōn (German zittern) and Old Norse titra (Faroese titra, Icelandic titra). Alternatively an unrelated reduplicative onomatopoeia. In present-day use, it can mean to hesitate and be unable to decide what to do, or a state of nervous, agitated indecision. Related forms include dodder. Derived formations include adither, ditherer, dithering, ditheringly, dithery.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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