John was as bouncy and ebullient as Helen was diffident and reserved.
He tapped on the door, opened it and entered with a certain diffidence.
English dictionary. 2008.
Diffident — Dif fi*dent, a. [L. diffidens, entis, p. pr. of diffidere; dif = dis + fidere to trust; akin to fides faith. See {Faith}, and cf. {Defy}.] 1. Wanting confidence in others; distrustful. [Archaic] [1913 Webster] You were always extremely diffident… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
diffident — I adjective abashed, awestricken, awestruck, bashful, blushful, blushing, cautious, demure, deprecating, deprecative, diffidens, embarrassed, fainthearted, faltering, hesitating, humble, humbled, lacking self confidence, modest, overanxious,… … Law dictionary
diffident — mid 15c., from L. diffidentem (nom. diffidens), prp. of diffidere (see DIFFIDENCE (Cf. diffidence)). Related: Diffidently … Etymology dictionary
diffident — modest, bashful, *shy, coy Analogous words: shrinking, flinching, blenching (see RECOIL): hesitant, reluctant (see DISINCLINED): timorous, *timid Antonyms: confident Contrasted words: assured, sure, sanguine, presumptuous (see CONFIDENT): self… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
diffident — [adj] hesitant; unconfident backward, bashful, blenching, chary, constrained, coy, demure, distrustful, doubtful, dubious, flinching, humble, insecure, meek, modest, mousy, rabbity, reluctant, reserved, retiring, self conscious, self effacing,… … New thesaurus
diffident — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ lacking in self confidence. DERIVATIVES diffidence noun diffidently adverb. ORIGIN Latin, from diffidere fail to trust … English terms dictionary
diffident — [dif′ədənt] adj. [L diffidens: see DIFFIDENCE] full of diffidence; lacking self confidence; timid; shy SYN. SHY1 diffidently adv … English World dictionary
diffident — dif|fi|dent [ˈdıfıdənt] adj [Date: 1400 1500; : Latin; Origin: , present participle of diffidere to distrust , from fidere to trust ] shy and not wanting to make people notice you or talk about you diffident manner/smile/voice etc diffident about … Dictionary of contemporary English
diffident — adjective shy and unwilling to make people notice you or talk about you: He suddenly felt diffident in the presence of these people (+ about): She was diffident about her prize. diffidently adverb diffidence noun (U) … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
diffident — adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin diffident , diffidens, present participle of diffidere to distrust, from dis + fidere to trust more at bide Date: 15th century 1. hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self confidence 2 … New Collegiate Dictionary
