diffident
Americanadjective
-
lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy.
- Synonyms:
- unassuming, modest, abashed, self-conscious
-
restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc.
-
Archaic. distrustful.
adjective
Related Words
See shy 1.
Other Word Forms
- diffidence noun
- diffidently adverb
- diffidentness noun
- nondiffident adjective
- undiffident adjective
Etymology
Origin of diffident
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin diffīdent- (stem of diffīdēns “mistrusting, despairing,” present participle of diffīdere ), equivalent to dif- dif- + fīd- “trust” + -ent- -ent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In “One of Us,” Elizabeth Day’s shrewd novel of political ambition and personal retribution, the unlikely avenger is a diffident British art historian.
Seberg’s haircut in the original film, a super-short, blond pixie cut, rewrote fashion trends around the world and encapsulated a spirit of youthful, diffident insouciance.
From Los Angeles Times
Conservative leadership contender James Cleverly claims he has been "underestimated" throughout his political career because he has been too "diffident" about his achievements.
From BBC
Until now, Scott has been a largely diffident presence in the movies, having distinguished himself most prominently as a masterly TV foil: the Moriarty to Benedict Cumberbatch’s “Sherlock,” the “hot priest” to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag.”
From Los Angeles Times
Not unlike Oldroyd’s sharp debut feature, “Lady Macbeth,” “Eileen” casts a seemingly diffident young woman as the antihero of an unusually cruel liberation story.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
