diffident C2 Topic:Art & Music US /ˈdɪfɪdənt/ See IPA manual Freq #101682 Meanings 1 adj lacking self-confidence Stood in the doorway diffident and abashed. 2 adj showing modest reserve I was diffident when offering a comment on the professor's lecture. 3 adj Lacking self-confidence; timid; modest Having therefore—but hold, as we are diffident of our own abilities, let us here invite a superior power to our assistance. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · lacking self-confidence shy 3 adj · lacking self-confidence;... modesttimid Word family Forms diffidently Derived forms diffidentlydiffidentnessundiffident Etymology From Latin diffīdentem, present participle of diffīdere (“to mistrust”). Doublet of defiant. Topics Art & Music External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # diffident **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈdɪfɪdənt/ **Frequency rank:** 101682 ## Meanings 1. lacking self-confidence 2. showing modest reserve 3. Lacking self-confidence; timid; modest ## Examples - Stood in the doorway diffident and abashed. - I was diffident when offering a comment on the professor's lecture. - Having therefore—but hold, as we are diffident of our own abilities, let us here invite a superior power to our assistance. ## Synonyms - shy - modest - timid ## Derived Forms - diffidently - diffidentness - undiffident ## Etymology From Latin diffīdentem, present participle of diffīdere (“to mistrust”). Doublet of defiant. ## Topics - Art & Music markdown