diffidence.

A hesitant or modest manner arising from uncertainty about one’s own abilities or standing.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• speak with diffidence
• overcome diffidence

On the page

He offered the suggestion with unexpected diffidence.

Her diffidence disappeared when the discussion turned to maps.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.