Dictionary.com

diffident

[ dif-i-duhnt ]
/ ˈdɪf ɪ dənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR diffident

adjective

lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy.
restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc.
Archaic. distrustful.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

synonym study for diffident

1. See shy1.

OTHER WORDS FROM diffident

Words nearby diffident

different strokes for different folks, difficile, difficult, difficulty, diffidence, diffident, diffluence, diffluent, Difflugia, diffract, diffraction
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to diffident

sheepish, demure, meek, self-effacing, bashful, unassuming, timid, self-conscious, shy, unsure, backward, chary, coy, distrustful, doubtful, dubious, humble, insecure, modest, mousy

Example sentences from the Web for diffident

British Dictionary definitions for diffident

diffident
/ (ˈdɪfɪdənt) /

adjective

lacking self-confidence; timid; shy

Derived forms of diffident

diffidence, noundiffidently, adverb

Word Origin for diffident

C15: from Latin diffīdere to distrust, from dis- not + fīdere to trust
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012