diffidence
/ˈdɪfɪdəns/ noun
Forms diffidences
- noun The state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement.
- noun (obsolete) Mistrust, distrust, lack of confidence in someone or something.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The state of being diffident; distrust; want of confidence; doubt of the power, ability, or disposition of others. [Archaic]
- noun Distrust of one's self or one's own powers; lack of self-reliance; modesty; modest reserve; bashfulness.
Etymology [L. diffidentia.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “diffidence”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details