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
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Recent Examples of dither
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
In Diane Keaton’s dithers is all the strength of American women.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2025
PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for dither
Noun
His reluctance, according to a report Thursday by the Red Sox news site BoSox Injection, could open the door for another team to beat the Red Sox to the punch and sign Guerrero while Boston dithers over the size of his contract.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
In Diane Keaton’s dithers is all the strength of American women.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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
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
See All Example Sentences for dither
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dither
Noun
-
January’s nonfarm payrolls report and consumer price index, set to hit screens days after their original release dates , could re-instill confidence in the market following a recent bout of panic selling.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2026
-
That level of panic is premature, experts say.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Asked during a keynote appearance at Berlin’s European Film Market whether such a deal would be good for the film business, Ford didn’t hesitate.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Glenn and his friends were asked to meet some girls, and the teens didn’t hesitate.—
Yolanda Harris,
AJC.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Then, without much fuss, group two starts to prepare for their talent show.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2026
-
What’s behind all the fuss, of almost 180k glowing reviews on Amazon?—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And there have been nerves about AI eating into software’s market share for a while.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
On March 9, Avry Jo, who is now 4, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a highly aggressive cancer of the nerves that typically occurs within the first few years of life.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The announcement by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday came after hours of indications that the anticipated talks were faltering over changes in the format and content of the talks.—
JON GAMBRELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
5 Feb. 2026
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Lock went 4-1 as a starter in 2019 after taking over from veteran Joe Flacco, but faltered in a rocky 2020, with a league-leading 13 interceptions in just 13 games.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
David walks out of the kitchen and Moira huffs and takes his spot over the pot.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Secondary recovery includes waterflooding or gas injection which includes huff-and-puff mode.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Earlier this week, Anthropic released new plugins for specific industries, from legal to finance to biotech research, sending shivers down the spine of Wall Street.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Shake off the winter shivers, Boise.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Moos wrote that when Frost showed up for a secret interview at a Philadelphia hotel the night before his undefeated UCF team played a road game at Temple, Frost was unshaven and wearing sweats.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
There are a lot of guns and sweat.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dither.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dither. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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