DITHERED Synonyms: 43 Similar and Opposite Words

dithered

verb

past tense of dither

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of dithered But phase two of the program kept getting delayed, in part because Congress dithered on funding. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026 Sarah Finnane dithered mightily before deciding on this wild wallpaper for the new powder room. — Gary Thompson, Midwest Living, 5 June 2026 Trump dithered, then waited until the last minute to back Paxton. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026 As the authorities dithered, people across the city grew restless. — Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dithered

Verb

Smith hesitated, Davis said, and Anderson grabbed the weapon and opened fire.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Some in Europe hesitated when the United States launched its war on Iran without consulting them.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of hesitated

Verb

In the rest of the state, Graham prevailed — including in the Charleston area, where former governor and congressman Mark Sanford endorsed Norman after his own Senate campaign faltered.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026
But their turnout in Broward, the state’s last big remaining Democratic stronghold, faltered.

— Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of faltered

Browse Nearby Words

dither

dithered

dithering

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Dithered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dithered. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of dithered

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes