Diffident and indifferent sound similar, but they describe very different attitudes.
Diffident means shy, timid, or lacking self confidence. A diffident person may care a lot, but feels hesitant about speaking, acting, or drawing attention. For example: She was diffident during the interview, so her answers sounded uncertain.
Indifferent means unconcerned, uninterested, or not emotionally invested. An indifferent person does not seem to care much about the outcome. For example: He was indifferent to the criticism and kept working.
- Use diffident for nervousness, reserve, or low confidence.
- Use indifferent for a lack of interest, concern, or feeling.
A quick way to remember it is this: diffident is about hesitation, while indifferent is about not caring. Someone can be diffident because they care too much, but indifferent because they care too little.