diffident

[ dif-i-duhnt ]
See synonyms for: diffidentdiffidently on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy.

  2. restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc.

  1. Archaic. distrustful.

Origin of diffident

1
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 for diffident

Other words from diffident

  • dif·fi·dent·ly, adverb
  • dif·fi·dent·ness, noun
  • non·dif·fi·dent, adjective
  • un·dif·fi·dent, adjective

Words Nearby diffident

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use diffident in a sentence

  • And, incidentally, to encourage retiring and diffident lady interviewers.

  • He seemed diffident, but it was evident that he did not wish her to go, and once more she felt that he aroused her curiosity.

    The Gold Trail | Harold Bindloss
  • He reached out and touched my hand––a fleeting, diffident touch––and gently answered, “Ay, lad; your feet will stray.”

  • He pushed the diffident greenness back, and went whistling rudely across the lands.

    The Devourers | Annie Vivanti Chartres
  • If the tyrannous day of our fathers had but possessed the means of these our more diffident times!

    Ceres' Runaway | Alice Meynell

British Dictionary definitions for diffident

diffident

/ (ˈdɪfɪdənt) /


adjective
  1. lacking self-confidence; timid; shy

Origin of diffident

1
C15: from Latin diffīdere to distrust, from dis- not + fīdere to trust

Derived forms of diffident

  • diffidence, noun
  • diffidently, adverb

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