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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Tennessee faltered again right before half, missing six of its final seven shots.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 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
Cite this Entry
“Dithered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dithered. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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