Diffident — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

showing modest reserve

lacking self-confidence

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dᵻvˈɪd/

🇬🇧British English

/dˈɪfɪdənt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dˈɪfɪdənt/

3 syllables Say it as /dᵻvˈɪd/.

Examples

she was diffident when offering a comment on the professor's lecture
stood in the doorway diffident and abashed
problems that call for bold not timid responses

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

shy unsure timid

Antonyms

confident

Parts of Speech

adjective	showing modest reserve “she was diffident when offering a comment on the professor's lecture”
adjective	lacking self-confidence “stood in the doorway diffident and abashed”

Word Forms

diffidence	noun	lack of self-confidence
shyness	noun	a feeling of fear of embarrassment
timidness	noun	fear of the unknown or unfamiliar or fear of making decisions

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

zurückhaltend

zeigt bescheidene Zurückhaltung

🇫🇷French

timide

faisant preuve d'une modeste réserve

🇪🇸Spanish

tímido

mostrando modesta reserva

🇮🇹Italian

diffidente

mostrando una modesta riserva

🇳🇱Dutch

bedeesd

bescheiden reserve tonen

🇵🇹Portuguese

tímido

mostrando reserva modesta

🇷🇺Russian

неуверенный в себе

проявляя скромную сдержанность

India

🇮🇳Hindi

संकोची

मामूली रिज़र्व दिखा रहा है

🇧🇩Bengali

ভিন্ন

পরিমিত রিজার্ভ দেখাচ্ছে

🇮🇳Tamil

நம்பிக்கையற்ற

மிதமான இருப்பைக் காட்டுகிறது

🇮🇳Telugu

భిన్నమైన

నిరాడంబరమైన నిల్వను చూపుతోంది

🇮🇳Marathi

भिन्न

माफक राखीव दर्शवित आहे

🇮🇳Gujarati

અલગ

સાધારણ અનામત દર્શાવે છે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಭಿನ್ನಾಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ

ಸಾಧಾರಣ ಮೀಸಲು ತೋರಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വിഭിന്ന

മിതമായ കരുതൽ കാണിക്കുന്നു

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਵੱਖਰਾ

ਮਾਮੂਲੀ ਰਿਜ਼ਰਵ ਦਿਖਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

مختلف

معمولی ریزرو دکھا رہا ہے۔

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

胆怯的

表现出适度的保留

🇯🇵Japanese

自信がない

控えめな留保を示している

🇰🇷Korean

자신 없는

적당한 여유분을 보여줌

🇻🇳Vietnamese

khác thường

cho thấy dự trữ khiêm tốn

🇹🇭Thai

แตกต่าง

แสดงถึงการสำรองเล็กน้อย

🇮🇩Indonesian

malu

menunjukkan cadangan sederhana

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

خجول

تظهر احتياطي متواضع

🇮🇷Persian

متفکر

نشان دادن اندوخته اندک

🇹🇷Turkish

çekingen

mütevazı rezerv gösteriliyor

🇮🇱Hebrew

נֶחבָּא אֶל הַכֵּלִים

מציג עתודה צנועה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'diffident'?

The primary meaning of 'diffident' is 'showing modest reserve'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'diffident' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'diffident' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'diffident' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'diffident' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'diffident' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'diffident' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'diffident' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Which age group is most likely to use 'diffident' in regular conversations?

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Would you classify 'diffident' as formal, casual, or slang?

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