dither
pronunciation
How to pronounce dither in British English:
UK [ˈdɪðə(r)]
How to pronounce dither in American English:
US [ˈdɪðɚ]
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- Noun:
- an excited state of agitation
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- Verb:
- act nervously; be undecided; be uncertain
- make a fuss; be agitated
Word Origin
- dither (v.)
- 1640s, "to quake, tremble," phonetic variant of Middle English didderen (late 14c.), which is of uncertain origin. The sense of "vacillate, be anxious" is from 1819. Related: Dithered; dithering.
Example
- 1. Mr obama also had good reason to dither over this particular conflict .
- 2. And while we dither , others charge ahead and reap the rewards .
- 3. As the colonel 's forces advanced and the international community appeared to dither , many libyans who had thrown in their lot with the rebels began to waver .
- 4. Instead , like the rest of washington , it 's inventing reasons to dither in the face of mass unemployment .
- 5. Other banks are hoarding earnings or shrinking assets , or the reverse , choosing to ramp up risk again while regulators dither .