Etymology
From Latin diffīdentiam (“distrust”), from diffīdere (“to mistrust”), from dis- and fīdere (“to trust”). Attested since ∼1400. The original sense was antonymous with confidence, and the modern sense of ‘distrusting oneself’ dates from the 1650s.[1]
Noun
diffidence (countable and uncountable, plural diffidences)
- The state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement.
1815, Jane Austen, Emma, volume I, chapter 15:Without scruple—without apology—without much apparent diffidence, Mr. Elton, the lover of Harriet, was professing himself her lover.
- 1897, José María de Pereda, translated by William Henry Bishop, Cleto's Proposal to Sotileza (an excerpt from Sotileza)
- "I was passing by," he began to stammer, trembling with his diffidence, "I—happened to be passing along this way, and so—er—as I was passing this way, I says to myself, says I, 'I'll just stop into the shop a minute.'
1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:And Rick with unwonted diffidence had accepted his exclusion. Now with the same diffidence he came, looking trim and loving and mysteriously humble.
- (obsolete) Mistrust, distrust, lack of confidence in someone or something.
1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:[Charles, King of France]: We have been guided by thee hitherto,
And of thy cunning had no diffidence:
One sudden foil shall never breed distrust.
- 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, V.Scene the Last:
- I have no diffidence of your abilities—only be constant to one roguery at a time—
Translations
The state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement
- Afrikaans: Verleentheid
- Bulgarian: неувереност (bg) (neuverenost), нерешителност (bg) (nerešitelnost), стеснителност (bg) (stesnitelnost)
- Danish: forsagthed c, tilbageholdenhed c, beskedenhed c
- Dutch: verlegenheid (nl) f, terughoudendheid (nl) f, bescheidenheid (nl) f
- Esperanto: timideco
- French: timidité (fr) f
- German: Zurückhaltung (de) f, Verlegenheit (de) f, Schüchternheit (de) f
- Greek: αιδημοσύνη (el) f (aidimosýni)
- Irish: cotadh m
- Maori: ahaahatanga
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: forlegenhet (no) m or f, tilbakeholdenhet (no) m or f, beskjedenhet (no) m or f
- Russian: застенчивость (ru) f (zastenčivostʹ), ро́бость (ru) f (róbostʹ), неуве́ренность (ru) f (neuvérennostʹ)
- Tagalog: himan, kahimanan
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