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
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
Between the sticks - Bayern seem reluctant to retire Neuer but this diffidence is helping no one.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
One reason for the diffidence may be that Shao-Horn already has another project for building larger electrodes to be used in EV applications.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 June 2010
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffidence
Noun
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The Bulls took 18 fewer shots than the Celtics as a direct result of their timidity on the glass, grabbing only six offensive rebounds to Boston’s 20.—
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Enmired in the self-satisfactions and unnamed timidities of childhood, Galinda finds in herself neither canniness nor the need to cultivate it.—
Noun
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There is also a lot to appreciate in the quietness of the season.—
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Morchhale explains that quietness should not be mistaken for passive surrender.—
Noun
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But for Coles, his indoctrination to law enforcement has been a different level of submissiveness.—
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In Killers of the Flower Moon, his Ernest Burkhart starts off as a mopey, weak-minded World War One veteran, eager to do anything for his godfather uncle (Robert De Niro), but there’s still a certain likability to his dim-bulb submissiveness.—
Noun
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Jacoby Brissett is the unquestioned starter with Murray now on injured reserve.—
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Red Lobster On Veterans Day, all veterans, active-duty military, and reserves can get a free Shrimp & Chips entrée, which comes with Walt’s Favorite Shrimp, fries, and coleslaw.—
Noun
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This burger beat out 600,000 fan submissions to get a spot on national menus, according to a press release.—
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The number of nominees will be proportional to the number of submissions in each genre with at least one nomination for each genre.—
Noun
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Manuel, for all his shyness, had been a regular on a recreational baseball team.—
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Although it’s still considered rare, it’s often misdiagnosed as shyness — which can delay treatment.—
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffidence. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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