diffident : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: diffident	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for diffident
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
diffident adj showing modest reserve; "she was diffident when offering a comment on the professor's lecture" lacking self-confidence; "stood in the doorway diffident and abashed"; "problems that call for bold not timid responses"; "a very unsure young man" Synonym(s): diffident, shy, timid, unsure Antonym(s): confident
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Diffident \Dif"fident\, a. [L. diffidens, -entis, p. pr. of diffidere; dif- = dis + fidere to trust; akin to fides faith. See {Faith}, and cf. {Defy}.] 1. Wanting confidence in others; distrustful. [Archaic] You were always extremely diffident* of their success. --Melmoth. 2. Wanting confidence in one's self; distrustful of one's own powers; not self-reliant; timid; modest; bashful; characterized by modest reserve. The diffident maidens, Folding their hands in prayer. --Longfellow. Syn: Distrustful; suspicious; hesitating; doubtful; modest; bashful; lowly; reserved.