as in timidity
the quality or state of lacking confidence or assertiveness
He met the girl's gaze with awkward diffidence.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of diffidence
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
The simultaneous inward intensity of feeling and outward diffidence, the emotional and moral dangers of simulation, the hot alien beauty of the city ...
—Boris Kachka, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023
Despite her diffidence about feminist smugness, there’s no shortage of reflexive feminist mockery of men, though also a wonderful passage about the special female thrill in locating the tender heart of the brute.
—Laura Kipnis, The New Republic, 5 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
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
The simultaneous inward intensity of feeling and outward diffidence, the emotional and moral dangers of simulation, the hot alien beauty of the city ...
—Boris Kachka, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023
Despite her diffidence about feminist smugness, there’s no shortage of reflexive feminist mockery of men, though also a wonderful passage about the special female thrill in locating the tender heart of the brute.
—Laura Kipnis, The New Republic, 5 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffidence
Noun
-
The idea came from observing hydrocarbon reservoirs in northern Italy’s Po Valley over two decades — essentially storage wells where gas coming from external pipelines is pumped and stored in summer to create reserves for Italy in winter.—
Julia Buckley,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
-
Corporate executives don’t want to destroy morale; government agencies must retain reserve; and those of us in the job market – coaches, recruiters, staffers, etc. – must not let pessimism creep in.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
Noun
-
But if your company is handling hundreds of submissions weekly, with underwriters specializing in various areas, the need for such a tool becomes nearly unavoidable.—
Marcin Nowak,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
-
Customers can bet on each fight to end by knockout or submission.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share