Word Meanings - DIFFIDENT - Book Publishers vocabulary database

dif- = dis + fidere to trust; akin to fides faith. See Faith, and cf. 1. Wanting confidence in others; distrustful. You were always extremely diffident of their success. Melmoth. 2. Wanting confidence in one's self; distrustful of one's own powers;

Additional info about word: DIFFIDENT

dif- = dis + fidere to trust; akin to fides faith. See Faith, and cf. 1. Wanting confidence in others; distrustful. 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.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of DIFFIDENT)

• Bashful
• Modest
• diffident
• shy
• retiring
• reserved
• Scrupulous
• Conscientious
• dubious
• punctilious
• exact
• cautious
• nice
• precise
• reluctant
• Timid
• Fearful
• pusillanimous
• coy
• timorous
• afraid
• cowerly
• fainthearted
• inadventurous

Related words: (words related to DIFFIDENT)

• RESERVE
  1. To keep back; to retain; not to deliver, make over, or disclose. "I have reserved to myself nothing." Shak. 2. Hence, to keep in store for future or special use; to withhold from present use for another purpose or time; to keep; to retain. Gen.
• DUBIOUSNESS
  State of being dubious.
• EXACTOR
  One who exacts or demands by authority or right; hence, an extortioner; also, one unreasonably severe in injunctions or demands. Jer. Taylor.
• EXACTING
  Oppressive or unreasonably severe in making demands or requiring the exact fulfillment of obligations; harsh; severe. "A temper so exacting." T. Arnold -- Ex*act"ing*ly, adv. -- Ex*act"ing*ness, n.
• FEARFULNESS
  The state of being fearful.
• EXACTLY
  In an exact manner; precisely according to a rule, standard, or fact; accurately; strictly; correctly; nicely. "Exactly wrought." Shak. His enemies were pleased, for he had acted exactly as their interests required. Bancroft.
• MODESTLY
  In a modest manner.
• EXACTION
  1. The act of demanding with authority, and compelling to pay or yield; compulsion to give or furnish; a levying by force; a driving to compliance; as, the exaction to tribute or of obedience; hence, extortion. Take away your exactions from my
• PUSILLANIMOUSLY
  With pusillanimity.
• CONSCIENTIOUSNESS
  The quality of being conscientious; a scrupulous regard to the dictates of conscience.
• MODESTY
  1. The quality or state of being modest; that lowly temper which accompanies a moderate estimate of one's own worth and importance; absence of self-assertion, arrogance, and presumption; humility respecting one's own merit. 2. Natural delicacy
• BASHFULNESS
  The quality of being bashful. Syn. -- Bashfulness, Modesty, Diffidence, Shyness. Modesty arises from a low estimate of ourselves; bashfulness is an abashment or agitation of the spirits at coming into contact with others; diffidence is produced
• RETIRER
  One who retires.
• RETIREMENT
  1. The act of retiring, or the state of being retired; withdrawal; seclusion; as, the retirement of an officer. O, blest Retirement, friend of life's decline. Goldsmith. Retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books. Thomson. 2. A place of seclusion
• TIMIDITY
  The quality or state of being timid; timorousness; timidness.
• TIMID
  Wanting courage to meet danger; easily frightened; timorous; not bold; fearful; shy. Poor is the triumph o'er the timid hare. Thomson. Syn. -- Fearful; timorous; afraid; cowardly; pusillanimous; faint- hearted; shrinking; retiring. -- Tim"id*ly,
• RESERVOR
  One who reserves; a reserver.
• DUBIOUSLY
  In a dubious manner.
• RESERVATIVE
  Tending to reserve or keep; keeping; reserving.
• CAUTIOUSNESS
  The quality of being cautious.
• INEXACTLY
  In a manner not exact or precise; inaccurately. R. A. Proctor.
• INEXACT
  Not exact; not precisely correct or true; inaccurate.
• UNBASHFUL
  Not bashful or modest; bold; impudent; shameless. Shak.
• INCAUTIOUS
  Not cautious; not circumspect; not attending to the circumstances on which safety and interest depend; heedless; careless; as, an incautious step; an incautious remark. You . . . incautious tread On fire with faithless embers overspread. Francis.
• FATIMITE; FATIMIDE
  Descended from Fatima, the daughter and only child of Mohammed. -- n.
• IMMODESTLY
  In an immodest manner.
• INTIMIDATORY
  Tending or serving to intimidate.