| 释义 |
diffidentdif‧fi‧dent /ˈdɪfɪdənt/ adjective   diffidentOrigin: 1400-1500 Latin present participle of diffidere ‘to distrust’, from fidere ‘to trust’ - Her former classmates say she was shy and diffident in school.
- Joe was humble and diffident about his own success.
- Shaun became noticeably diffident when the conversation turned to the subject of his promotion.
- From being a painfully shy, diffident recluse, he suddenly metamorphosed into a garrulous and sometimes painfully overbearing extrovert.
- He seemed diffident, even shy.
- The Neanderthals seemed unexpectedly gentle and diffident people.
- The voice at the other end was light, gentle, diffident.
not confident about talking to people► shy not confident about talking to people, especially people you do not know: · David was always rather quiet and shy at school.· Carrie looked up at him and gave him a shy smile.painfully shy (=extremely shy): · He was painfully shy in public, but completely different at home with his family.too shy to do something: · I was too shy to ask her out on a date.go all shy spoken (=suddenly become very shy): · Look, she's gone all shy - stop teasing her.shy with girls/boys/adults etc (=shy when you are talking to girls, boys etc): · Because little Danny spent all his time with his mother, he was rather shy with men. ► timid frightened to talk to people or to give your opinion, because you have very little confidence: · Ralph's wife was a small, timid woman who hardly ever spoke.· "May I come in?" said a timid little voice. ► bashful someone who is bashful is unwilling to give their opinions or do something that they would enjoy, especially because they are embarrassed or afraid that they will look stupid: · Don't be bashful about telling your family how you feel.· Kirsty gave Willy a bashful grin. ► coy someone who is coy deliberately behaves in a shy way because they think it is attractive: · Teresa blushed when she saw me and turned very coy.· Her mother encouraged her to use her feminine charm, to be coy and alluring. ► diffident formal someone who is diffident does not like talking about their achievements or is not confident of their abilities: · Shaun became noticeably diffident when the conversation turned to the subject of his promotion.diffident about: · Joe was humble and diffident about his own success. ► diffident manner/smile/voice etc shy and not wanting to make people notice you or talk about youdiffident manner/smile/voice etcdiffident about He was diffident about his own success.—diffidently adverb—diffidence noun [uncountable] |