Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DIFFIDENT
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If you have full faith in yourself, you're confident. If you don't, you're diffident.
"Diffident" has Latin bits that literally mean "mistrusting" or "not confident."
Part of speech:
The word "diffident" is formal and semi-common. Its tone can be neutral ("He's a diffident child"), or negative ("She's diffident and boring"), or positive ("They're diffident and endearing").
"His parents are diffident around Maxine, at first keeping their distance, not boisterous as they typically are around their Bengali friends."
Explain the meaning of "diffident" without saying "not bold" or "not self-assured."
Fill in the blanks: "(Some actor) plays the diffident (character), always (doing something shy, quiet, sheepish, or self-conscious)."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
The precise opposite of DIFFIDENT is
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