adj
Meaning 1
Lacking confidence in others; distrustful.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
diffident
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈdɪfɪdənt/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
adj
Meaning 2
Lacking self-confidence; timid; modest
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: timid, modest
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 3
lacking self-confidence
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- stood in the doorway diffident and abashed
- problems that call for bold not timid responses
- a very unsure young man
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: shy, timid, unsure
Antonyms: confident
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
showing modest reserve
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- she was diffident when offering a comment on the professor's lecture
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Latin diffīdentem, present participle of diffīdere (“to mistrust”). Doublet of defiant.
Across languages
Translations
53 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Dutch: wantrouwig — distrustful
- Dutch: argwanend — distrustful
- Finnish: epäluuloinen — distrustful
- French: méfiant — distrustful
- German: misstrauisch — distrustful
- Greek: καχύποπτος (kachýpoptos) — distrustful
- Hungarian: bizalmatlan — distrustful
- Latin: diffīdens — distrustful
- Norwegian Bokmål: mistroisk — distrustful
- Russian: недоверчивый (nedoverčivyj) — distrustful
- Russian: скры́тный (skrýtnyj) — distrustful
- Serbo-Croatian: не̏поузда̄н — distrustful
- Serbo-Croatian: не̏сигӯран — distrustful
- Serbo-Croatian: неповјѐрљив — distrustful
- Serbo-Croatian: nȅpouzdān — distrustful
- Serbo-Croatian: nȅsigūran — distrustful
- Serbo-Croatian: nepovjèrljiv — distrustful
- Spanish: difidente — distrustful
- Bulgarian: неуверен (neuveren) — lacking confidence in oneself
- Danish: tilbageholdende — lacking confidence in oneself
- Danish: som mangler selvtillid — lacking confidence in oneself
- Danish: beskeden — lacking confidence in oneself
- Danish: frygtsom — lacking confidence in oneself
- Dutch: onzeker — lacking confidence in oneself
- Finnish: epävarma — lacking confidence in oneself
- French: timide — lacking confidence in oneself
- German: schüchtern — lacking confidence in oneself
- German: unsicher — lacking confidence in oneself
- Greek: άτολμος (átolmos) — lacking confidence in oneself
- Greek: σεμνός (semnós) — lacking confidence in oneself
- Greek: ντροπαλός (ntropalós) — lacking confidence in oneself
- Hungarian: bátortalan — lacking confidence in oneself
- Hungarian: félénk — lacking confidence in oneself
- Irish: náireach — lacking confidence in oneself
- Irish: náiriúil — lacking confidence in oneself
- Māori: kōpipiri — lacking confidence in oneself
- Māori: harotu — lacking confidence in oneself
- Māori: ahaaha — lacking confidence in oneself
- Norwegian Bokmål: beskjeden — lacking confidence in oneself
- Norwegian Bokmål: usikker — lacking confidence in oneself
- Portuguese: tímido — lacking confidence in oneself
- Portuguese: inseguro — lacking confidence in oneself
- Russian: неуве́ренный в себе́ (neuvérennyj v sebé) — lacking confidence in oneself
- Russian: засте́нчивый (zasténčivyj) — lacking confidence in oneself
- Russian: ро́бкий (róbkij) — lacking confidence in oneself
- Serbo-Croatian: не̏сигӯран — lacking confidence in oneself
- Serbo-Croatian: срамежљив — lacking confidence in oneself
- Serbo-Croatian: nȅsigūran — lacking confidence in oneself
- Serbo-Croatian: sramežljiv — lacking confidence in oneself
- Spanish: apocado — lacking confidence in oneself
- Spanish: desconfiado — lacking confidence in oneself
- Spanish: tímido — lacking confidence in oneself
- Spanish: difidente — lacking confidence in oneself