dilly dally
5 synonyms and 2 antonyms for dilly dally, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To waste time by moving too slowly or by being unable to make up your mind.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
How to use dilly dally
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
stop dilly dallying
dilly dally over a decision
no time to dilly dally
Informal and slightly old-fashioned or playful; common when speaking to children.
Etymology
A reduplication of dally 'to waste time, linger'.
Full origin of dilly dally →Frequently asked questions
Is it dilly dally, dilly-dally or dillydally?
All three appear in print. British dictionaries usually hyphenate it as dilly-dally; American dictionaries often close it up as dillydally. The open two-word form is common in casual writing.
What is the difference between dilly dally and dawdle?
Dawdle is about being slow — walking, eating or working at a crawl. Dilly dally adds indecision and pointless detours: the dilly dallier is not just slow but keeps stopping, changing their mind and getting distracted.
