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
Over the last few decades, several U.S. administrations have prioritized the relationship with India despite considerable diffidence on the part of New Delhi.
—
Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023
Weaver brings a deceptive diffidence to Shelly, and Coleman is suitably enigmatic as V. Stiviano, a paragon of modern fameosexual ambition.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 3 June 2024
Norman Mailer wrote with an unstable mixture of self-indulgence and self-awareness, bravado and diffidence, glibness and bracing honesty, macho posturing and an almost sheepish gentleness.
—Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 28 Mar. 2024
The people who’ve worked with her, however, describe an impressive resolve beneath the diffidence.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023
Weaver brings a deceptive diffidence to Shelly, and Coleman is suitably enigmatic as V. Stiviano, a paragon of modern fameosexual ambition.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 3 June 2024
Norman Mailer wrote with an unstable mixture of self-indulgence and self-awareness, bravado and diffidence, glibness and bracing honesty, macho posturing and an almost sheepish gentleness.
—Andrew Delbanco, The New York Review of Books, 28 Mar. 2024
The people who’ve worked with her, however, describe an impressive resolve beneath the diffidence.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffidence
Noun
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There were extra demands on the banking system because of insurance company losses against the San Francisco earthquake, and Cortelyou reinforced the requirement to base reserves in federal bonds.—
Brian Domitrovic,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
-
Those reserves might come in handy based on the rest of North Dakota’s economic picture, which is not pretty.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
12 July 2025
Noun
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Updates to the prior authorization process will require health plans to standardize electronic submissions.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
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And with every submission, fans can get access to a Royal Perks reward, which is a randomized offer that could include anything from free cheeseburgers to a one-cent Whopper every week for a year.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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