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
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
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
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
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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But German timidity before Israel’s moral blackmail only partly explains Habermas’s callous attitude toward the country’s Palestinian victims.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Even in the face of Hollywood’s timidity, some American independent animators have managed to push their offbeat visions through as features made with limited resources.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There, many of Cale’s pet fascinations, like the precariousness of memory and the lacuna between yourself and other people, opened themselves up with a lovely quietness.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
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Not with the quietness of a disease already in her brain; not drugged and almost constantly sleeping.—
Molly Aitken,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
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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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Jakucionis, who was selected by the Heat with the 20th overall pick in last year’s draft, was part of a Heat bench that outscored the Nets’ reserves 54-34 on Thursday.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
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The reserve formally reopened March 1, and is now fully accessible after one day of parking lot restriping closed the park road, upper parking lots and visitor center on March 4.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
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.—
Dan Turello,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The submissions were compiled in an internal government database and reviewed by The Washington Post, which confirmed its authenticity with current federal employees.—
Karin Brulliard,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
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Climate video contest Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action is accepting submissions from aspiring filmmakers ages 12-18 from Santa Clara County for its Youth Climate Video Contest.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Her name is Minnie, but her shyness leans toward the mousy, though no one would ever say that to her, least of all her beloved and extremely outgoing best friend, Callie (Chloe Coleman).—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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Consider signing up for Toastmasters, a longstanding organization that helps people to break through their shyness and become strong public speakers and communicators.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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