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
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
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However, lawyers say several institutions are preparing litigation reserves on par with the maximum revenue-sharing pools stipulated by the House v. NCAA settlement.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 June 2025
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For years, that someone has been the U.S. Issuing, rolling, and selling Treasuries at a scale that only the world’s reserve currency can sustain.—
Jemma Green,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Noun
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The clips went viral on social media ahead of the Season 7 premiere, and in response, Love Island fans vowed to vote her out once submissions opened through the show’s official app.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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This can look like reassessing submission criteria, ensuring diverse representation on juries and panels, committing to transparent selection processes, and actively seeking out talent from a wide range of backgrounds and identities.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
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