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.
The slight turbo lag and diffident throttle behavior at low speed goes away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
But the overarching tone, across the board, is oddly diffident.
From Slate • Apr. 25, 2025
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 • Dec. 20, 2023
Newey is a diffident, unassuming character for one of such extravagant gifts.
From BBC • Nov. 23, 2023
He could hear her panting now, her voice almost a wail of diffident yet iron determination: “I dont know what to do. I dont know what to do.”
From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner
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.
