Link Centre Dictionary

diffident

dif·fi·dent

UK/ˈdɪfɪdənt/ uncommon archaic

adjective

1.

showing modest reserve

  • “she was diffident when offering a comment on the professor”
Similar
2.

lacking self-confidence

  • “stood in the doorway diffident and abashed”
  • “problems that call for bold not timid responses”
  • “a very unsure young man”

Origin

From Latin diffīdentem, present participle of diffīdere (“to mistrust”). Doublet of defiant.

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.