as in timidity
the quality or state of lacking confidence or assertiveness
He met the girl's gaze with awkward diffidence.
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Recent Examples of diffidence
Between the sticks - Bayern seem reluctant to retire Neuer but this diffidence is helping no one.
—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
At its best, the uncomfortably intimate aesthetic of the films combined with the general diffidence at their heart attempted to epitomize a generational temperament and linguistic sensibility.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
Weaver brings a deceptive diffidence to Shelly, and Coleman is suitably enigmatic as V. Stiviano, a paragon of modern fameosexual ambition.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 3 June 2024
One reason for the diffidence may be that Shao-Horn already has another project for building larger electrodes to be used in EV applications.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 June 2010
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
At its best, the uncomfortably intimate aesthetic of the films combined with the general diffidence at their heart attempted to epitomize a generational temperament and linguistic sensibility.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2024
Weaver brings a deceptive diffidence to Shelly, and Coleman is suitably enigmatic as V. Stiviano, a paragon of modern fameosexual ambition.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 3 June 2024
One reason for the diffidence may be that Shao-Horn already has another project for building larger electrodes to be used in EV applications.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 June 2010
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffidence
Noun
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The timidity of the tactics was utterly shameful.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Indulgence can tip over into self-indulgence all too easily; holding back can result in a timidity that makes a song sound at odds with its subject.—
Maura Johnston,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That quietness wasn't typical, Chyna Sands said.—
Monroe Trombly,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Sep. 2025
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She was particularly struck by the quietness of Latronico, and noticed that there didn’t seem to be any children around.—
Silvia Marchetti,
CNN Money,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That’s because Eichenberg is on the physically unable to perform list, not on injured reserve.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
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Bessent has signaled that the Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund will be deployed, perhaps including its Special Drawing Rights – a form of global reserve cash issued by the International Monetary Fund.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
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However, nominators − worldwide members of research academies, university professors, scientists, previous Nobel Prize laureates and members of parliamentary assemblies and others − can choose to reveal their submissions.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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Our Hot Ones submissions for this year, which are an annual barometer of what’s hot and what’s not, are stacked full of guessing-game formats covered with The Traitors’ pawprints.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Chambers, meanwhile, is leaning into shyness on this album cycle by frequently covering her face in photos.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
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This can range from occasional nerves and shyness to paralyzing fears of social situations and people.—
Sarah Scott,
Parents,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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