Synonyms of diffident

diffident

adjective

ˈdi-fə-dənt 

as in shy

not comfortable around people

for someone who makes a living performing for other people, the actress is remarkably diffident in real life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shy
• withdrawn
• bashful
• lone
• sheepish
• introverted
• modest
• coy
• backward
• retiring
• recessive
• demure
• self-effacing
• awkward
• embarrassed
• reserved
• antisocial
• unsociable
• unassertive
• unsocial
• uneasy
• unadventurous
• lone-wolf
• uptight
• self-conscious
• unenterprising
• inhibited

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outgoing
• extroverted
• immodest
• gregarious
• social
• sociable
• companionable
• convivial
• forceful
• bold
• boon
• clubbable
• dashing
• uninhibited
• brash
• forward
• unreserved
• overbold

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective diffident contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of diffident are bashful, coy, modest, and shy. While all these words mean "not inclined to be forward," diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking.

felt diffident about raising an objection

When would bashful be a good substitute for diffident?

Although the words bashful and diffident have much in common, bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence.

a bashful boy out on his first date

Where would coy be a reasonable alternative to diffident?

The meanings of coy and diffident largely overlap; however, coy implies a pretended shyness.

put off by her coy manner

In what contexts can modest take the place of diffident?

The synonyms modest and diffident are sometimes interchangeable, but modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit.

modest about her success

When can shy be used instead of diffident?

In some situations, the words shy and diffident are roughly equivalent. However, shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

shy with strangers

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of diffident

This small, diffident moment is one more reason to mourn his death. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025

In the new film Hot Milk, the sensual but diffident 20-something Sofia (Emma Mackey) travels with her invalid mother, Rose (Fiona Shaw), to the Mediterranean shores of Spain in search of an experimental cure for the latter’s (possibly hypochondriac) illness. —Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025

Today, they’re considered all-time greats, geniuses of melody and tension and originators of the diffident, philosophical mode that came to dominate American guitar rock in the new century. —Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025

Having travelled to Rome, Fuller struck up a romance with a skinny, diffident twenty-six-year-old named Giovanni Angelo Ossoli. —James Marcus, New Yorker, 2 June 2025

Only a monumental defeat could stop South Africa qualifying for the semifinals so there was a rather diffident air to proceedings. —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

In 2022, Quan starred as Waymond Wang, a seemingly diffident husband who transforms into a martial arts expert when crossing multiverses to save his family in the Daniels’ wild and emotional film Everything Everywhere All at Once. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2025

Consider Chatterton’s Fields of This, an exemplary case study, as the hazy slacker rock the Oxnard, California, duo of guitarist-keyboardist Brock Pierce and multi-instrumentalist Logan Scrivner dream up is brash yet diffident. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2024

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