ˈdifədən(t)s also -d ə n- or -ˌden- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin diffidentia, from diffident-, diffidens + -ia
: the quality or state of being diffident:
a. archaic : distrust : want of confidence : doubt of the power or disposition of others
that affliction … weighed me down even to a diffidence of God's mercy — John Donne
b. : distrust of oneself or one's own powers : lack of self-reliance : modesty : modest reserve : bashfulness
it is good to speak on such questions with diffidence — T.B.Macaulay