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
But Cropper’s diffidence about his abilities was the perfect mindset for a rhythm guitarist, whose job is to serve the song and the band rather than himself.
—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
5 Dec. 2025
Scott was completing a yearlong master’s program in mathematics, and Noone, a doctoral candidate five years his senior, was charmed by the contrast between his good looks and his diffidence.
—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
And has done so with the kind of diffidence that can only come from a lifetime in the sports backwaters.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Aug. 2025
The concern now is not diffidence in New Delhi, but diffidence in Washington.
—
Nirupama Rao,
Foreign Affairs,
30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
5 Dec. 2025
Scott was completing a yearlong master’s program in mathematics, and Noone, a doctoral candidate five years his senior, was charmed by the contrast between his good looks and his diffidence.
—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
And has done so with the kind of diffidence that can only come from a lifetime in the sports backwaters.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Aug. 2025
The concern now is not diffidence in New Delhi, but diffidence in Washington.
—
Nirupama Rao,
Foreign Affairs,
30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffidence
Noun
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But in a state like Connecticut, where Democrats flipped seats in the most recent local elections, this timidity makes no sense.
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There are those who would write her off, and perhaps her timidity before America’s facilitation of Gaza’s destruction has earned that dismissal.
Noun
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To come up with its study, the company looked at different factors that equate to quietness, including monthly search volume, visitor ratings, average summer temperatures, access to nearby restaurants and bars, and availability of accommodations.
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The last rays of the setting sun lit the distant Saw Tooth Mountains away to the west, while a quietness settled like a huge soft blanket spread over the wilderness.
Noun
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Attraction is a function of parentage and looks and submissiveness.
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But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.
Noun
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The Denver Post editorial is a master class in timidness and in saying nothing of import.
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Wilder was not stuck in the state of inertia that plagued him against Parker or the timidness against Zhang.
Noun
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The world’s second largest economy has also weathered the historic energy crunch triggered by the conflict better than many of its neighbors – in particular due to its copious strategic oil reserves and embrace of green tech and electric vehicles.
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Today, the once sprawling forest is confined to a 1,000 acre reserve.
Noun
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Her skin—something known as Frubber, a porous patented blend of fleshlike elastic polymers—stretched over a structure of plastic and titanium, and there was no flicker of bashfulness.
Noun
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Three drugs in active clinical development could reshape how doctors approach androgenetic alopecia in both men and women, and the first regulatory submissions are already underway.
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Clascoterone is completing its safety dataset with regulatory submissions already in motion.
Noun
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Then the release, the arrival, the return to self, and a lazy, funny sort of shyness.
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There was no awkwardness or shyness.
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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