1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

diffidently

adverb

Definition of diffidentlynext
as in shyly

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffidently
  1. shyly
  2. bashfully
  3. timidly
  4. fearfully
  5. politely
Adverb
  • Tristan, in the middle of putting down new wood shavings, looked at me shyly through the dust clouds.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • At one moment, the young prince glances down with his doe eyes before looking shyly off to the side at his mom and breaking out into a giggle.
    — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of shyly
Adverb
  • The famously-outgoing point guard ducked her head bashfully as Huskies stars Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong shook her shoulders in celebration while freshman Kelis Fisher tossed a handful of confetti into her face.
    — Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
  • So Rizo, a little bashfully but mostly just with determination, heads right on back.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
Definition of bashfully
Adverb
  • By acting too timidly around its allies, Washington has missed opportunities.
    — Dafna H. Rand, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The other photo shows two of the cubs huddled in a corner of a habitat, with one eyeing the camera timidly.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of timidly
Adverb
  • The child is fearfully looking behind him, as three Israeli soldiers approach.
    — Mirin Fader, New York Times, 16 July 2026
  • He’s flanked by his wife, Princess Deidamia, who looks fearfully up at her husband’s encroaching enemies.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 6 July 2026
Definition of fearfully
Adverb
  • To keep their identities somewhat of a secret, Freddy and his traveling companions agreed to speak to a reporter on Saturday night but politely declined to reveal their last names or take a picture that includes their faces.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • At this year’s Munich Security Conference, Rubio said the same thing more politely.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of politely
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

diffident
diffidently
diffuse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Diffidently.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidently. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All