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
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
Between the sticks - Bayern seem reluctant to retire Neuer but this diffidence is helping no one.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 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
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
Between the sticks - Bayern seem reluctant to retire Neuer but this diffidence is helping no one.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 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
-
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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The $4 million project is funded with the library’s existing capital reserves, set aside for building repairs, maintenance, and improvements, said John Kokoris, the library’s marketing & outreach manager.—
Chuck Fieldman,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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The People's Bank of China, meanwhile, has expanded its gold reserves for 15 consecutive months through January, reportedly taking holdings to roughly 2,300 tons.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 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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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,
16 Feb. 2026
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Like wrestling, jiujitsu emphasizes takedowns, control and submission holds instead of punches or kicks.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 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 17 Feb. 2026.
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