diffident

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diffident

/ˈdɪfɪdənt/

Where it comes from

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

adjective more diffident · most diffident

archaic Lacking confidence in others; distrustful.
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.
Similar: timid, modest

Translations

Every language

adj distrustful

Español	difidente
Français	méfiant
Deutsch	misstrauisch
Ελληνικά	καχύποπτος kachýpoptos
Русский	недоверчивый nedoverčivyj, скры́тный skrýtnyj

adj lacking confidence in oneself

Español	apocado, desconfiado, tímido, difidente
Português	tímido, inseguro
Français	timide
Deutsch	schüchtern, unsicher
Ελληνικά	άτολμος átolmos, σεμνός semnós, ντροπαλός ntropalós
Русский	неуве́ренный в себе́ neuvérennyj v sebé, засте́нчивый zasténčivyj, ро́бкий róbkij

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MLA

"diffident." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/diffident. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

diffident. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/diffident

Chicago

"diffident." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/diffident.

BibTeX

@misc{diffident_2026,
  title = {diffident},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/diffident},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}