diffidence
noun
dif·fi·dence
ˈdi-fə-dən(t)s 
-fə-ˌden(t)s
: the quality or state of being unassertive or bashful : the quality or state of being diffident
Examples of diffidence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Celik seems attuned to such questions as a valid (if not necessarily revelatory) core for a play to circle around, but Cramer’s writing often feels caught between an exploration of comic diffidence and simply an expression of it.
—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
And that eye could see past Dorothy’s drab uniform and Cindy Brady pigtails, her tall girl’s diffidence and her sweet girl’s shyness, to the bombshell smoldering underneath.
—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
There are no speakers in the songs of MJ Lenderman other than MJ Lenderman, whose diffidence and exhaustion are in all-too-perfect lockstep with the psychic frustrations of his listeners.
—
Armin Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
In 1992, in his conversation with Hines, Cage spoke briefly about Sample before assuming his customary mask of benign diffidence.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
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Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
And that eye could see past Dorothy’s drab uniform and Cindy Brady pigtails, her tall girl’s diffidence and her sweet girl’s shyness, to the bombshell smoldering underneath.
—
Lili Anolik,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
There are no speakers in the songs of MJ Lenderman other than MJ Lenderman, whose diffidence and exhaustion are in all-too-perfect lockstep with the psychic frustrations of his listeners.
—
Armin Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
In 1992, in his conversation with Hines, Cage spoke briefly about Sample before assuming his customary mask of benign diffidence.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for diffidence
Cite this Entry
“Diffidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diffidence. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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