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
But Cropper’s diffidence about his abilities was the perfect mindset for a rhythm guitarist, whose job is to serve the song and the band rather than himself.
—
David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025
Scott was completing a yearlong master’s program in mathematics, and Noone, a doctoral candidate five years his senior, was charmed by the contrast between his good looks and his diffidence.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 5 Dec. 2025
Scott was completing a yearlong master’s program in mathematics, and Noone, a doctoral candidate five years his senior, was charmed by the contrast between his good looks and his diffidence.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffidence
Noun
-
This idea of reasonableness is easily caricatured as moral timidity or a bloodless neutrality that drains politics of passion.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
But our delay and our timidity continue to cause unimaginable human suffering.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s a lot of quiet in the country, and there’s a lot of quietness in my children.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The work ethic is there, but so are the routines, the quirks, the quietness, the edge.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Attraction is a function of parentage and looks and submissiveness.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
Dan Pompei,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Wilder was not stuck in the state of inertia that plagued him against Parker or the timidness against Zhang.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While the pool on the casita side is adults only, the multilevel one by the villas and residences reserves the upper area for families, and also has a lawn with some games.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The final submission—a six-line poem from Akil—was cryptic, nearly indecipherable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
The submission fee is $15 per item; credit cards, checks and cash will be accepted.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
That got everybody over their shyness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In Atlanta, some people living with SAD, as well as social phobia or even simple shyness, are facing their fears in a novel way.—
Hunter Boyce,
AJC.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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