diffident

adjective (diffident, more diffident, most diffident)

«diffident» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

Everyday

Shy and not sure of yourself; not wanting to speak up or push yourself forward. tree →

In the lessons

Used in stories to describe a quiet, modest, unsure person. Mole is diffident at first with the grand Badger. In everyday life a diffident child might know the answer but not put a hand up.

Examples

The diffident boy rarely spoke in class. tree →
Mole felt diffident in front of the great Badger. tree →
She gave a diffident smile. tree →
He was diffident about showing his drawing. tree →
Don't be diffident — your idea is good! tree →
The new girl was diffident on her first day. tree →
In a diffident voice, he asked for help. tree →

Note

Adjective; noun: diffidence. Opposite: confident (both come from Latin «to trust»; diffident = not trusting yourself). Don't confuse with «different».

On Mova

Trees and pragmatics of «diffident» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«diffident» in the school dictionary on Mova free.

This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/diffident/