dither

Agitated mental state

Dither means to be indecisive or agitated, unable to settle on a course of action: She dithered over which dress to wear until they were late.

The word suggests nervous, unproductive wavering rather than thoughtful deliberation.

In computing and digital imaging, dithering is a technique that uses patterns of dots or noise to simulate colors or tones that can't be displayed directly—a controlled randomness that smooths transitions.

indecision

vacillate

Waver between choices

equivocate · hem · haw · shilly-shally · falter · teeter · oscillate · fluctuate · prevaricate · uncertain

anxiety

nervousness

State of anxious unease

tension · stress · panic · jitters · trepidation · agitation · fret · fluster · flutter · tizzy

delay

procrastinate

Delay action unnecessarily

  • stallEnclosed compartment or delay
  • dawdleLinger without purpose
  • tarryDelay one's leaving

dally · linger · delay · drag · postpone · defer · temporize · prolong · idle · putter

digital

noise

Unwanted auditory disturbance

banding · pixel · algorithm · quantization · rendering · grayscale · bitmap · posterization · pattern · threshold

Categories
Opposites
decisiveness

ditherdecide

Reach a conclusion

resolve · settle · conclude · determine · commit

emotional composure

dithercomposure

Emotional self-control

calm · equanimity · aplomb · poise · self-possession

action vs. inaction

ditheract

Deed or performance

take action · advance · proceed · move · progress

Phrases
Family

dithering, dithers, dithered, dithery, ditherings

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G