Diffidence1. (n.) Distrust of one's self or one's own powers; lack of self-reliance; modesty; modest reserve; bashfulness.
2. (n.) The state of being diffident; distrust; want of confidence; doubt of the power, ability, or disposition of others.
Thesaurus Entries
Pyrrhonism, afraidness, apprehension, bashfulness, boggle, boggling, caution, cautiousness, compunction, demur, demurral, distrust, distrustfulness, doubt, doubtfulness, dubiety, dubiousness, falter, faltering, fearfulness, half-belief, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitating, hesitation, jumpiness, lack of self-confidence, lack of self-reliance, leeriness, misdoubt, misgiving, mistrust, mistrustfulness, modesty, objection, pause, protest, qualm, qualm of conscience, qualmishness, question, recoil, scruple, scrupulosity, scrupulousness, self-depreciation, self-detraction, self-distrust, self-doubt, self-effacement, shadow of doubt, shilly-shally, shilly-shallying, shrinking, shrinkingness, shyness, skepticalness, skepticism, skittishness, stage fright, startlishness, stickling, suspicion, suspiciousness, tentativeness, timidity, timorousness, total skepticism, uncertainty, wariness, weak ego