Gadit

diffident

Definitions
1adjectiveshy and not confident, especially because you do not fully trust your own abilities or opinions
She was diffident in class and rarely raised her hand.
His diffident smile made him seem quieter than he really was.
At first, the new student seemed diffident around the other kids.
One quick question to check you understood
Idioms & expressions
diffident about speaking up, feeling too unsure of yourself to speak with confidence
Word Origin
Language
Latin
Original word
diffīdere
Word parts
dis- (apart, away) + fīdere (to trust)
Originally meant
to distrust, to lack confidence
Background
The word comes from Latin diffīdere, which meant to distrust or have little confidence. It entered English through Latin-based learned vocabulary and kept the idea of holding back because of self-doubt.