Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- With distrust; in a shy or hesitating manner; modestly.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adverb In a diffident manner.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb In a
diffident manner; withoutconfidence in oneself.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adverb in a diffident manner
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He stepped back, and another young man somewhat diffidently came forward, pushed on by his comrades.
The Sun of the Wolf 2010
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William even injected some English-sounding French into his speeches in Ottawa, assuring the crowd diffidently that his accent would get better.
French-Canadian separatists to protest during Prince William's visit to Quebec 2011
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They seem not to be the brightest thing around and diffidently not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
ACORN seems to be having a hooker advisement problem. - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState 2009
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He stepped back, and another young man somewhat diffidently came forward, pushed on by his comrades.
The Son of the Wolf 2010
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He answered diffidently, I said I wanted to make a dog house for Sparky.
Red Flags or Red Herrings? Susan Engel 2011
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My friend quickly offers a bill, which I diffidently tuck into her shimmery gear.
Roya Rastegar: Justin Bond and the House of Whimsy: Re:Galli Blonde (A Sissy Fix) Roya Rastegar 2010
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She was the Queen—head of state and virtual embodiment of the entire nation—so even those closest to her treated Granny diffidently.
William and Kate Christopher Andersen 2011
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She was the Queen—head of state and virtual embodiment of the entire nation—so even those closest to her treated Granny diffidently.
William and Kate Christopher Andersen 2011
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My friend quickly offers a bill, which I diffidently tuck into her shimmery gear.
Roya Rastegar: Justin Bond and the House of Whimsy: Re:Galli Blonde (A Sissy Fix) Roya Rastegar 2010
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She developed a habit of shrugging diffidently when asked almost any kind of question.
Red Flags or Red Herrings? Susan Engel 2011
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