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Pusillanimous vs Diffident - What's the difference?

pusillanimous | diffident |

As adjectives the difference between pusillanimous and diffident

is that pusillanimous is showing ignoble cowardice, or contemptible timidity while diffident is (archaic): lacking confidence in others; distrustful.

pusillanimous

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Showing ignoble cowardice, or contemptible timidity
    • The soldier deserted his troop in a pusillanimous manner.
  • * 1882 — , On the Decay of the Art of Lying [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2572/2572.txt].
    • Therefore, the wise thing is for us diligently to train ourselves to lie thoughtfully, judiciously; to lie with a good object, and not an evil one; to lie for others' advantage, and not our own; to lie healingly, charitably, humanely, not cruelly, hurtfully, maliciously; to lie gracefully and graciously, not awkwardly and clumsily; to lie firmly, frankly, squarely, with head erect, not haltingly, tortuously, with pusillanimous mien, as being ashamed of our high calling.

    Related terms

    * pusillanimously * pusillanimousness

    diffident

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (archaic): Lacking confidence in others; distrustful.
  • Lacking confidence in one's self; distrustful of one's own powers; not self-reliant; timid; modest; bashful; characterized by modest reserve.
  • *
    • Having therefore—but hold, as we are diffident of our own abilities, let us here invite a superior power to our assistance.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=1960 , author= , title=(Jeeves in the Offing) , section=chapter VIII , passage=At an early point in these exchanges I had started to sidle to the door, and I now sidled through it, rather like a diffident crab on some sandy beach trying to avoid the attentions of a child with a spade.}}