diffidence

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement.

   Without scruple—without apology—without much apparent diffidence, Mr. Elton, the lover of Harriet, was professing himself her lover.

2. 2
   noun

   Mistrust, distrust, lack of confidence in someone or something.

   [Charles, King of France]: We have been guided by thee hitherto, And of thy cunning had no diffidence: One sudden foil shall never breed distrust.

3. 3
   noun

   lack of self-confidence

From Latin diffīdentiam (“distrust”), from diffīdere (“to mistrust”), from dis- and fīdere (“to trust”). Attested since ∼1400. The original sense was antonymous with confidence, and the modern sense of ‘distrusting oneself’ dates from the 1650s.

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