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DIFFIDENCE
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Lack of self-confidence
Synonyms:
diffidence; self-distrust; self-doubt
Classified under:
Nouns denoting feelings and emotions
Hypernyms ("diffidence" is a kind of...):
timidity; timidness; timorousness (fear of the unknown or unfamiliar or fear of making decisions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "diffidence"):
hesitance; hesitancy (a feeling of diffidence and indecision about doing something)
unassertiveness (diffidence about self promotion)
Antonym:
confidence (a feeling of trust (in someone or something))
Derivation:
diffident (lacking self-confidence)
diffident (showing modest reserve)
Context examples:
His knowledge and her ignorance of the subject, his rapidity of expression, and her diffidence of herself put that out of her power; she could strike out nothing new in commendation, but she readily echoed whatever he chose to assert, and it was finally settled between them without any difficulty that his equipage was altogether the most complete of its kind in England, his carriage the neatest, his horse the best goer, and himself the best coachman.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
Without scruple—without apology—without much apparent diffidence, Mr. Elton, the lover of Harriet, was professing himself her lover.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
His diffidence had prevented his depending on his own judgment in so anxious a case, but his reliance on mine made every thing easy.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
There was an unceremonious directness, a searching, decided steadfastness in his gaze now, which told that intention, and not diffidence, had hitherto kept it averted from the stranger.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
The blowing of the coach-horn in the yard was a seasonable diversion, which made me get up and hesitatingly inquire, in the mingled pride and diffidence of having a purse (which I took out of my pocket), if there were anything to pay.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Without any display of doing more than the rest, or any fear of doing too much, he was always true to her interests, and considerate of her feelings, trying to make her good qualities understood, and to conquer the diffidence which prevented their being more apparent; giving her advice, consolation, and encouragement.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
Had she been older or vainer, such attacks might have done little; but, where youth and diffidence are united, it requires uncommon steadiness of reason to resist the attraction of being called the most charming girl in the world, and of being so very early engaged as a partner; and the consequence was that, when the two Morlands, after sitting an hour with the Thorpes, set off to walk together to Mr. Allen's, and James, as the door was closed on them, said, Well, Catherine, how do you like my friend Thorpe?
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
This naturally introduced a panegyric from Jane on his diffidence, and the little value he put on his own good qualities.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
"What affectation of diffidence was this at first?" they might have demanded; "what stupid regardlessness now?"
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
And then he would have changed the subject, and sipped his coffee in peace over domestic matters of a calmer hue; but Mr. Yates, without discernment to catch Sir Thomas's meaning, or diffidence, or delicacy, or discretion enough to allow him to lead the discourse while he mingled among the others with the least obtrusiveness himself, would keep him on the topic of the theatre, would torment him with questions and remarks relative to it, and finally would make him hear the whole history of his disappointment at Ecclesford.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
