diffidence : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: diffidence	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for diffidence
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
diffidence n lack of self-confidence [syn: diffidence, self-doubt, self-distrust] Antonym(s): confidence
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Diffidence \Dif"fidence\, n. [L. diffidentia.] 1. The state of being diffident; distrust; want of confidence; doubt of the power, ability, or disposition of others. [Archaic] That affliction grew heavy upon me, and weighed me down even to a diffidence* of God's mercy. --Donne. 2. Distrust of one's self or one's own powers; lack of self-reliance; modesty; modest reserve; bashfulness. It is good to speak on such questions with diffidence. --Macaulay. An Englishman's habitual diffidence and awkwardness of address. --W. Irving. Syn: Humility; bashfulness; distrust; suspicion; doubt; fear; timidity; apprehension; hesitation. See {Humility}, and {Bashfulness}.