diffident
adjective /ˈdɪfɪdənt/
/ˈdɪfɪdənt/
- diffident (about something) not having much confidence in yourself; not wanting to talk about yourself synonym shy
- a diffident manner/smile
- He was modest and diffident about his own success.
- She felt diffident about speaking in public.
- Greg was the quiet, diffident type.
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘lacking confidence or trust in someone or something’): from Latin diffident- ‘failing in trust’, from the verb diffidere, from dis- (expressing reversal) + fidere ‘to trust’.