diffident
(diff-i-dunt)
adjective
Someone who is diffident is shy and doesn’t like to talk about themselves or be the centre of attention.
The Latin word fidere, which means ‘to trust’, has given us many common English words, including ‘confident’, ‘fidelity’, ‘fiduciary’, and this week's word, 'diffident'. The word 'diffident' originally meant ‘untrustworthy’ but over time has developed to refer to personality traits. Someone who is diffident literally lacks trust in themselves. ‘Confident’, from the same root, is the direct opposite.
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