diffidently

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Well,” he began diffidently, “essentially I’m a writer.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Remarkable for a movie made entirely with nonactors, “Xiao Wu” thrives on extended scenes of personal interaction — Xiao Wu with his former friend, his parents, the police and, mainly, the diffidently wooed Mei-Mei.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2021

Yes, we were responding to anonymous prompts, but we were looking, respectfully and diffidently, at a fellow human being.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2021

Joel smiled diffidently and admitted, "The ball has been bouncing my way so far."

From Golf Digest • Apr. 16, 2020

He began a little diffidently, avoiding her gaze, but he gathered courage as he went along.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy