diffidentadj.n.

Brit.

/ˈdɪfᵻd(ə)nt/, U.S.

/ˈdɪfəd(ə)nt/

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin diffīdent-, diffīdēns, diffīdere.

Etymology: < classical Latin diffīdent-, diffīdēns distrustful, lacking in confidence, use as adjective of present participle of diffīdere diffide v. Compare Middle French diffident (c1460 in an isolated attestation), Italian diffidente (a1347), both in sense ‘lacking in trust or faith’. Compare the antonym confident adj.

A. adj.

1. Lacking in trust or faith; full of or characterized by doubt or misgivings. Also with †in, of.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > lack of confidence, distrust, suspicion > [adjective]

ortrowOE

truthlessa1200

untristc1374

mistrusty?a1425

overtrowinga1425

diffidenta1460

in suspicion1471

suspicionous1474

suspectious1521

mistrustful1529

surmising1535

distrusting1549

trustless?1550

mistrusting1552

misgiving1567

suspectfula1586

misdoubtful1596

distrustfula1600

shy1600

misdoubting1601

scrupulous1608

jealousa1616

umbratiousa1639

inconfident1667

suspecting1691

unconfiding1820

untrusting1861

defiant1872

leery1896

suspicionful1911

hincty1929

a1460 Knyghthode & Bataile (Pembr. Cambr. 243) l. 2852 Impotence With couwardise & diffident dispayre.

1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Diffidénte, mistrustful, diffident.

a1618 W. Raleigh Life & Death Mahomet (1637) 207 In the constancie of his people he was somewhat diffident.

a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 329 A fainting, and a diffident spirit.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost viii. 562 Be not diffident Of Wisdom, she deserts thee not, if thou Dismiss not her, when most thou needst her nigh.

1692 J. Ray Wisdom of God (ed. 2) i. 128 I am somewhat diffident of the truth of those Stories.

1734 I. Watts Reliquiæ Juveniles xlvi. 171 A feeble Man and diffident had need to pray daily, Lord, lead us not into Temptation.

1759 tr. A. R. Le Sage Devil upon Crutches (ed. 2) I. iv. 84 I hope, tho' still mistrustful and diffident, you will not disapprove of this expedient.

1802 H. Martin Helen of Glenross III. 330 Had I been more diffident in its effects, I had not trusted..to it.

1873 J. A. Symonds Stud. Greek Poets v. 141 The English are not musicians, and are diffident in general of the artist class.

1968 A. Naess Scepticism v. 145 He [sc. the Pyrrhonist] is not a particularly diffident or mistrustful sort of person and might even believe and trust the testimony of others.

2003 G. B. Kelly & F. B. Nelson Cost Moral Leadership 56 One might suspect that Bonhoeffer had become openly diffident of the intellectual side of doing theology.

2. Lacking in self-confidence; timid, shy; modest, self-deprecating. Also: hesitant, tentative.Now the usual sense.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > humility > modesty > shyness or bashfulness > [adjective] > diffident

diffident1606

self-distrusting1614

self-diffiding1654

self-diffident1674

self-distrustful1830

1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars 172 How timorous and diffident [L. diffidens] hee was.

1658 H. W. tr. E. de Refuge Accomplish'd Courtier iv. 8 If he be of a diffident and timorous Genius, you may conceive, that a bold Accuser & Delator, and one who careth not much for the envy of great ones,..shall find acceptance with him.

1713 J. Addison Cato ii. i. 19 Let us appear nor Rash nor Diffident.

1793 S. Rowson Inquisitor (new ed.) II. 118 ‘Nor can it be supposed my performances have any merit worthy the attention of this company.’ ‘Oh, you are always so diffident—.’

1844 C. A. Murray Prairie-bird II. iv. 52 Before answering the question addressed to him, Wingenund cast a diffident look towards War-Eagle.

1882 B. M. Croker Proper Pride I. ii. 42 She little knew that the apparently diffident young man was the life and soul of his mess.

1913 J. Conrad Chance i. iii. 82 Nursing under a diffident manner a considerable amount of secret arrogance.

1951 L. P. Hartley My Fellow Devils xv. 150 Colum..bent his head in diffident acknowledgement, at once of their plaudits and his power to please.

1991 Time Out 13 Mar. 69/2 We do get..briefly, Leonard's diffident romance with a visitor..before he reverts.

2004 A. Sattin in Slightly Foxed Summer 58 Where she is cautious, Didi is a daredevil, where she is diffident, he is forceful.

B. n.

With the and plural agreement. Diffident people as a class.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > humility > modesty > shyness or bashfulness > [noun] > person

shell-snail1585

diffident1617

shameface1898

shrinking violet1915

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. i. i. 44 Helping the weake with succours, confirming the diffident with strong hopes.

1728 J. Morgan Compl. Hist. Algiers I. Ep. Ded. 2 The Unknowing, the Diffident, the Unreading, the Incurious, the Penurious and sometimes even the ill-bred Injurious.

1785 F. Burney Let. 3 Jan. in Diary & Lett. (1842) II. 343 He [sc. Dr. Johnson] never attacked the unassuming, nor meant to terrify the diffident.

1830 Philadelphia Album & Ladies Lit. Gaz. 3 Apr. 111/2 Some of those convenient truisms about the weather or the times, which are always at hand to relieve the diffident and the ungifted.

1860 J. Brougham Playing with Fire ii. 15 I'm Romeo, kindly assisted in the pursuit of some anonymous Juliet by this benevolent mouthpiece of the diffident.

1901 C. Kernestaffe Pebbles & Pearls 186 There are times when the Diffident, too, must be rash.

1947 R. B. Heilman in A. Tate Southern Vanguard 129 The diffident and the uncertain..seek firm foundations in the most obvious, and hence most deceptive, places.

2014 Guardian (Nexis) 23 June 16 Lucrative salaries and stock options tended to embolden the diffident.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	diffident
释义	diffidentadj.n. Brit. /ˈdɪfᵻd(ə)nt/, U.S. /ˈdɪfəd(ə)nt/ Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Latin diffīdent-, diffīdēns, diffīdere. Etymology: < classical Latin diffīdent-, diffīdēns distrustful, lacking in confidence, use as adjective of present participle of diffīdere diffide v. Compare Middle French diffident (c1460 in an isolated attestation), Italian diffidente (a1347), both in sense ‘lacking in trust or faith’. Compare the antonym confident adj. A. adj. 1. Lacking in trust or faith; full of or characterized by doubt or misgivings. Also with †in, of. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > lack of confidence, distrust, suspicion > [adjective] ortrowOE truthlessa1200 untristc1374 mistrusty?a1425 overtrowinga1425 diffidenta1460 in suspicion1471 suspicionous1474 suspectious1521 mistrustful1529 surmising1535 distrusting1549 trustless?1550 mistrusting1552 misgiving1567 suspectfula1586 misdoubtful1596 distrustfula1600 shy1600 misdoubting1601 scrupulous1608 jealousa1616 umbratiousa1639 inconfident1667 suspecting1691 unconfiding1820 untrusting1861 defiant1872 leery1896 suspicionful1911 hincty1929 a1460 Knyghthode & Bataile (Pembr. Cambr. 243) l. 2852 Impotence With couwardise & diffident dispayre. 1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Diffidénte, mistrustful, diffident. a1618 W. Raleigh Life & Death Mahomet (1637) 207 In the constancie of his people he was somewhat diffident. a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1954) VII. 329 A fainting, and a diffident spirit. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost viii. 562 Be not diffident Of Wisdom, she deserts thee not, if thou Dismiss not her, when most thou needst her nigh. View more context for this quotation 1692 J. Ray Wisdom of God (ed. 2) i. 128 I am somewhat diffident of the truth of those Stories. 1734 I. Watts Reliquiæ Juveniles xlvi. 171 A feeble Man and diffident had need to pray daily, Lord, lead us not into Temptation. 1759 tr. A. R. Le Sage Devil upon Crutches (ed. 2) I. iv. 84 I hope, tho' still mistrustful and diffident, you will not disapprove of this expedient. 1802 H. Martin Helen of Glenross III. 330 Had I been more diffident in its effects, I had not trusted..to it. 1873 J. A. Symonds Stud. Greek Poets v. 141 The English are not musicians, and are diffident in general of the artist class. 1968 A. Naess Scepticism v. 145 He [sc. the Pyrrhonist] is not a particularly diffident or mistrustful sort of person and might even believe and trust the testimony of others. 2003 G. B. Kelly & F. B. Nelson Cost Moral Leadership 56 One might suspect that Bonhoeffer had become openly diffident of the intellectual side of doing theology. 2. Lacking in self-confidence; timid, shy; modest, self-deprecating. Also: hesitant, tentative.Now the usual sense. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > humility > modesty > shyness or bashfulness > [adjective] > diffident diffident1606 self-distrusting1614 self-diffiding1654 self-diffident1674 self-distrustful1830 1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars 172 How timorous and diffident [L. diffidens] hee was. 1658 H. W. tr. E. de Refuge Accomplish'd Courtier iv. 8 If he be of a diffident and timorous Genius, you may conceive, that a bold Accuser & Delator, and one who careth not much for the envy of great ones,..shall find acceptance with him. 1713 J. Addison Cato ii. i. 19 Let us appear nor Rash nor Diffident. 1793 S. Rowson Inquisitor (new ed.) II. 118 ‘Nor can it be supposed my performances have any merit worthy the attention of this company.’ ‘Oh, you are always so diffident—.’ 1844 C. A. Murray Prairie-bird II. iv. 52 Before answering the question addressed to him, Wingenund cast a diffident look towards War-Eagle. 1882 B. M. Croker Proper Pride I. ii. 42 She little knew that the apparently diffident young man was the life and soul of his mess. 1913 J. Conrad Chance i. iii. 82 Nursing under a diffident manner a considerable amount of secret arrogance. 1951 L. P. Hartley My Fellow Devils xv. 150 Colum..bent his head in diffident acknowledgement, at once of their plaudits and his power to please. 1991 Time Out 13 Mar. 69/2 We do get..briefly, Leonard's diffident romance with a visitor..before he reverts. 2004 A. Sattin in Slightly Foxed Summer 58 Where she is cautious, Didi is a daredevil, where she is diffident, he is forceful. B. n. With the and plural agreement. Diffident people as a class. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > humility > modesty > shyness or bashfulness > [noun] > person shell-snail1585 diffident1617 shameface1898 shrinking violet1915 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. i. i. 44 Helping the weake with succours, confirming the diffident with strong hopes. 1728 J. Morgan Compl. Hist. Algiers I. Ep. Ded. 2 The Unknowing, the Diffident, the Unreading, the Incurious, the Penurious and sometimes even the ill-bred Injurious. 1785 F. Burney Let. 3 Jan. in Diary & Lett. (1842) II. 343 He [sc. Dr. Johnson] never attacked the unassuming, nor meant to terrify the diffident. 1830 Philadelphia Album & Ladies Lit. Gaz. 3 Apr. 111/2 Some of those convenient truisms about the weather or the times, which are always at hand to relieve the diffident and the ungifted. 1860 J. Brougham Playing with Fire ii. 15 I'm Romeo, kindly assisted in the pursuit of some anonymous Juliet by this benevolent mouthpiece of the diffident. 1901 C. Kernestaffe Pebbles & Pearls 186 There are times when the Diffident, too, must be rash. 1947 R. B. Heilman in A. Tate Southern Vanguard 129 The diffident and the uncertain..seek firm foundations in the most obvious, and hence most deceptive, places. 2014 Guardian (Nexis) 23 June 16 Lucrative salaries and stock options tended to embolden the diffident. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.a1460
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