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
-
But what is different about the downfall of Starmer, which is now under way, has been the timidity of his premiership, its chronic self-doubt, as if its voice were permanently stuck in its throat.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
But our delay and our timidity continue to cause unimaginable human suffering.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a lot of quiet in the country, and there’s a lot of quietness in my children.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The work ethic is there, but so are the routines, the quirks, the quietness, the edge.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Attraction is a function of parentage and looks and submissiveness.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The Denver Post editorial is a master class in timidness and in saying nothing of import.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
-
Wilder was not stuck in the state of inertia that plagued him against Parker or the timidness against Zhang.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
These reviews should include circumspect evaluations of the payments made to vendors and the services that were provided, as well as careful inspections of all transactions from association operating and reserve accounts.—
Meily Perez,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2026
-
When building the balance sheet, the Fed credits itself with digital cash and uses it to buy assets from banks, creating reserves.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
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.—
Dan Turello,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
25 May 2026
-
Among its offerings are an undergrad theater major, with a music theater certificate option (which requests a portfolio submission), as well as two-year MFA programs in acting.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
There was no awkwardness or shyness.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
23 May 2026
-
Historically, in situations involving large numbers of dogs, rescue teams have reported the animals to be agitated, stressed and fearful of human interaction (resulting in shyness or aggression).—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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