Both Uses of
diffident
in
A Tale of Two Cities
- He spoke with the diffidence of a man who knew how slight a thing would overset the delicate organisation of the mind, and yet with the confidence of a man who had slowly won his assurance out of personal endurance and distress.†
Chpt 2.19 *
- Mr. Cruncher, with some diffidence, explained himself as meaning "Old Nick's."†
Chpt 3.7
Definition:
-
(diffident) hesitant and unassertive -- often due to a lack of self-confidence