单词 | diffident |
释义 | diffidentadj.n. 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). < |
随便看 |
英语词典包含1132095条英英释义在线翻译词条,基本涵盖了全部常用单词的英英翻译及用法,是英语学习的有利工具。