as in insecure
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-distrustful
Adjective
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Janet’s mother, Marilyn, was deeply insecure about having never finished college herself, and—newly flush with cash—offered to pay for four years of her children’s higher education (which cost, on average, $740 in the late 1970s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026 -
The plight of food-insecure residents in the state became more visible in the fall when a 43-day shutdown of the federal government caused a pause in federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits to the hungry.—
Kitan Arole,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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This small, diffident moment is one more reason to mourn his death.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
22 Dec. 2025
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In the new film Hot Milk, the sensual but diffident 20-something Sofia (Emma Mackey) travels with her invalid mother, Rose (Fiona Shaw), to the Mediterranean shores of Spain in search of an experimental cure for the latter’s (possibly hypochondriac) illness.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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This means the country’s appetite for bold exploration, which the compact between science and government supported for decades, may be gone, too—leaving in its place more timid, short-term thinking.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
30 Dec. 2025
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So that Indiana politicians could grow timid.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Just a meek statement requesting support for peaceful protest from the same regime that will imprison its citizens even for the thought of it.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Jan. 2026
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Born in a stable among animals, Jesus entered the world humble and meek, not with the grandeur of a king.—
Nicole Russell,
USA Today,
25 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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Shy and unassertive, she’s often been overlooked by others and kept to herself.—
Yasmine AlSayyad,
The New Yorker,
9 Jan. 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Self-distrustful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-distrustful. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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