diffident
adjective/ˈdɪfɪdənt/
/ˈdɪfɪdənt/
- not having much confidence in yourself; not wanting to talk about yourself synonym shy
- a diffident manner/smile
- Greg was the quiet, diffident type.
- diffident about something He was modest and diffident about his own success.
- diffident about doing something She felt diffident about speaking in public.
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘lacking confidence or trust in someone or something’): from Latin diffident- ‘failing in trust’, from the verb diffidere, from dis- (expressing reversal) + fidere ‘to trust’.
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