diffidence

Syllables: dif·fi·dence/ˈdɪfɪdəns/

diffidence noun: the state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement.

Noun

diffidence (countable and uncountable, plural diffidences)

The state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement.
- Without scruple—without apology—without much apparent diffidence, Mr. Elton, the lover of Harriet, was professing himself her lover.1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 15, in Emma: […], volume I, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC
- My father was in the meantime overjoyed and in the bustle of preparation only recognized in the melancholy of his niece the diffidence of a bride.1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington...
(obsolete) Mistrust, distrust, lack of confidence in someone or something.
- [Charles, King of France]: We have been guided by thee hitherto,
  And of thy cunning had no diffidence:
  One sudden foil shall never breed distrust.1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- [...] [H]ee had brought the Parliment into ſo juſt a diffidence of him, as that they durſt not leave the Public Armes to his diſpoſal [...]1649, J[ohn] Milton, chapter XII, in ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC, page 122

diffidence meaning in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Tagalog

diffidence in Malayalam

ആത്മവിശ്വാസമില്ലായ്മ, സങ്കോചം, ലജ്ജ, അധൈര്യം

diffidence in Tagalog

the state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement: himan, kahimanan

Examples of diffidence in a sentence

I have the same diffidence in my feelings that most public speakers have, and am apt to think that others can speak better and more edifying than I can.1857, Brigham Young, Journal of Discources: Attention and Reflection Necessary to An Increase of Knowledge, etc.:
And Rick with unwonted diffidence had accepted his exclusion.1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:
I have no diffidence of your abilities—only be constant to one roguery at a time1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, V.Scene the Last

Forms of diffidence

plural	diffidences

Origin of diffidence

From Latin diffīdentiam (“distrust”), from diffīdere (“to mistrust”), from dis- and fīdere (“to trust”). Attested since ∼1400. The original sense was antonymous with confidence, and the modern sense of ‘distrusting oneself’ dates from the 1650s.

Questions about diffidence

What does diffidence mean?: Diffidence means the state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement.
What is diffidence in Tamil?: Diffidence in Tamil is தன்னம்பிக்கையின்மை. See Diffidence meaning in Tamil.
How do you use diffidence in a sentence?: I have the same diffidence in my feelings that most public speakers have, and am apt to think that others can speak better and more edifying than I can.
What part of speech is diffidence?: Diffidence is a noun.
How do you pronounce diffidence?: Diffidence is pronounced /ˈdɪfɪdəns/.
What is the plural of diffidence?: The plural of diffidence is diffidences.

Words near diffidence in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: diffidence (page history and authors); diffidence (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); diffidence (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); diffidence (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-diffidence.wav.

Cite this entry: “diffidence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/diffidence. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.