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Glite Dictionary
whither

whither

8 9.9
To where something goes
  • adverb
  • /ˈwɪðər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : adónde
  • She asked him whither he would go after graduation.
  • whither they go

Examples

  • And God also said, "I will appoint a place whither he shall flee."

    The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)

  • But whence they come or whither they go is not told to me.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Whither am I to be taken?

    Cromwell (1970)

  • But whither has this track of reasoning led me?

    Academic text (2016)

  • And whither were you riding now, signior?

    Anonymous (2011)

  • Whither wilt thou lead me?

    Hamlet (1948)

  • Let us go whither the omens of the Gods and the iniquity of our enemies calls us.

    Megalopolis (2024)

  • Whither is thy beloved gone O thou fairest among women?

    Our Mother's House (1967)

  • There are still three runaways in the woods of Tutuila, whither they escaped upon a raft.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The boat drifted on, for Destiny, the grim steersman, had seized the rudder, and they were bound—whither?

    Fiction book (1996)

Synonyms

where
vswhither
∞ 1.0

Asking about the place of a person or thing

is specifically about asking to which place something moves or leads
whereto
vswhither
  • Archaic
9.9

To which place someone or something goes in a sentence

is used mainly to ask to which place something moves or leads
whereunto
vswhither
  • Archaic
9.9

To which place, thing, or situation something goes

refers more to asking about direction or movement toward a place

Surface Forms

whither positive

Etymology

Whither comes from old English hwider, which means 'to which place' and is the same root as where. So asking 'whither' something goes is simply asking 'where to' or 'to what place', which is why the word means asking about direction or where something will end up.