adj ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Lacking confidence in others; distrustful. archaic
2. 2
   Lacking self-confidence; timid; modest

   "Having therefore—but hold, as we are diffident of our own abilities, let us here invite a superior power to our assistance."

Adjective

1. 1
   lacking self-confidence wordnet
2. 2
   showing modest reserve wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

backwardbashfulbogglingcautiouscowardlycoy

Antonyms

All antonyms

hubristicsnootyconfident

Example

More examples

"Tom is such a diffident man. He seems to have quite low self-esteem."

Etymology

From Latin diffīdentem, present participle of diffīdere (“to mistrust”). Doublet of defiant.

Related phrases

self confidence

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.