# diffidence

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈdɪfɪdəns/

## Definitions
1. The state of being diffident, timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement.
2. Mistrust, distrust, lack of confidence in someone or something.

## Etymology
From Latin diffīdentiam (“distrust”), from diffīdere (“to mistrust”), from dis- and fīdere (“to trust”). Attested since ∼1400. The original sense was antonymous with confidence, and the modern sense of ‘distrusting oneself’ dates from the 1650s.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/diffidence