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
Over the last few decades, several U.S. administrations have prioritized the relationship with India despite considerable diffidence on the part of New Delhi.
—
Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023
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
Norman Mailer wrote with an unstable mixture of self-indulgence and self-awareness, bravado and diffidence, glibness and bracing honesty, macho posturing and an almost sheepish gentleness.
—Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 28 Mar. 2024
The people who’ve worked with her, however, describe an impressive resolve beneath the diffidence.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023
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
Norman Mailer wrote with an unstable mixture of self-indulgence and self-awareness, bravado and diffidence, glibness and bracing honesty, macho posturing and an almost sheepish gentleness.
—Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 28 Mar. 2024
The people who’ve worked with her, however, describe an impressive resolve beneath the diffidence.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffidence
Noun
-
Its reserves are roughly estimated at 1.2 million tons of ore with lithium concentration above 1.5%.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Today, the reserve, managed by the Ecuadorian government in consultation with local fishers and scientists, allows for fishing and tourism while keeping stricter rules in more sensitive areas.—
Dona Bertarelli,
Time,
30 June 2025
Noun
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Updates to the prior authorization process will require health plans to standardize electronic submissions.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
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And with every submission, fans can get access to a Royal Perks reward, which is a randomized offer that could include anything from free cheeseburgers to a one-cent Whopper every week for a year.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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