diffidence

noun

dif·​fi·​dence ˈdi-fə-dən(t)s 

-fə-ˌden(t)s

: the quality or state of being unassertive or bashful : the quality or state of being diffident

Examples of diffidence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Celik seems attuned to such questions as a valid (if not necessarily revelatory) core for a play to circle around, but Cramer’s writing often feels caught between an exploration of comic diffidence and simply an expression of it. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026

As Michael, a bathroom and kitchen fixture wholesaler, Dan Donohue’s performance is riveting in its expansion from awkward diffidence to unbridled savagery while revealing his inner core. —Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 2 Feb. 2026

And that eye could see past Dorothy’s drab uniform and Cindy Brady pigtails, her tall girl’s diffidence and her sweet girl’s shyness, to the bombshell smoldering underneath. —Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026

There are no speakers in the songs of MJ Lenderman other than MJ Lenderman, whose diffidence and exhaustion are in all-too-perfect lockstep with the psychic frustrations of his listeners. —Armin Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dyffidence, borrowed from Latin diffīdentia, from diffīdent-, diffīdens "distrustful, diffident" + -ia -ia entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above