diffidence
diffidence — 名詞
1. a feeling of doubt about your own skills, opinions, or worth that makes you hold
缺乏自信
對自己能力缺乏信心的狀態
a feeling of doubt about your own skills, opinions, or worth that makes you hold back from speaking up or taking action in a situation where doing so would be normal.
The student's diffidence during the oral exam cost her a better grade.
那名學生在口試中的缺乏自信讓她錯失了更好的成績。
collocation: diffidence during [event]
The manager's diffidence about speaking in public kept him from applying for the promotion.
那位經理對於公開演講的缺乏自信使他放棄了申請升遷的機會。
pattern: diffidence about + gerund
The new manager's natural diffidence faded after she received praise from the team.
那位新經理天生的缺乏自信在收到團隊的讚賞後逐漸消失了。
- overcome diffidence
- natural diffidence
- diffidence about
- diffidence in
- shyness
Broader term covering social hesitation; diffidence focuses specifically on self-doubt about competence.
- timidity
Emphasises fearfulness or reluctance to act, not just low self-assessment.
- insecurity
Focuses on anxiety about being judged inadequate rather than a quiet lack of assertion.
- modesty
More positive and sometimes voluntary; diffidence implies a hindrance rather than a virtue.
- confidence
A firm belief in one's own abilities, the direct opposite of diffidence.
- self-assurance
Certainty in one's own judgment and skills, often expressed through decisive action.
文法句型
diffidence + about + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Often found in formal or professional contexts. Unlike shyness — which relates to social hesitation — diffidence specifically describes uncertainty about one's own competence or opinions.
常見錯誤
同根字
- diffident形容詞B2
- diffidently副詞C1