as in timid
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-doubting
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 -
So that Indiana politicians could grow timid.—
Katie Wiseman,
IndyStar,
12 Dec. 2025
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
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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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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
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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This unassuming stranger will be her doom, but not in the straightforward sense of a thug like Jerry.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
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Twenty-some celebrity contestants correctly tagged Travis Kelce’s popular, unassuming, bespectacled mother as a treacherous Traitor.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some clerics control enormous charitable foundations worth billions of dollars through donations from followers and budgets from the state, while others operate modest local mosques with minimal resources.—
Narges Bajoghli,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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Home prices in California are expected to rise in 2026, according to real estate experts — but the increase will be modest compared to that in past years.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Self-doubting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-doubting. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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