dif-fīdo, fīsus (post-class. perf. diffidi), 3, v. n.,
I to distrust; to be diffident or distrustful, to despair (freq. and class.).
α With dat. (so most freq.): eum potius (corrupisse), qui sibi aliqua ratione diffideret, quam eum, qui omni ratione confideret, Cic. Clu. 23, 63: sibi, Plaut. Rud. prol. 82; Cic. Prov. Cons. 16, 38: memoriae alicujus, id. Part. Or. 17, 59: sibi patriaeque, Sall. C. 31, 3: suis rebus, Caes. B. G. 5, 41, 5: veteri exercitui, Sall. J. 52, 6; 32, 5; 46, 1; 75, 1: suae atque omnium saluti, Caes. B. G. 6, 38, 2: summae rei, id. B. C. 3, 94 fin. : perpetuitati bonorum, Cic. Fin. 2, 27, 86: ingenio meo, id. Mur. 30, 63: huic sententiae, id. Tusc. 5, 1, 3: prudentiae tuae, Sulp. ap. Cic. Fam. 4, 5, 6: rei publicae, Cic. Fam. 5, 13, 3: illis (viris), Ov. H. 10, 97: caelestibus monitis, id. M. 1, 397 et saep.— Pass. impers. : cur M. Valerio non diffideretur, Liv. 24, 8; so Tac. A. 15, 4.—
β With a dependent clause : antiquissimi invenire se posse, quod cuperent, diffisi sint, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 3; id. Quint. 24, 77; id. Or. 1, 3; 28, 97; Caes. B. G. 6, 36; Quint. 10, 1, 126 al.; cf.: quos diffidas sanos facere, facies, Cato R. R. 157, 13: quem manu superare posse diffiderent, Nep. Alcib. 10, 4.—*
γ With ne : ne terras aeterna teneret, Lucr. 5, 980.—
δ Rarely with abl. (after the analogy of fido and confido): diffisus occasione, Suet. Caes. 3 Burm. and Oud.; so, paucitate suorum, Front. Strat. 1, 8, 5 Oud.: paucitate cohortium (al. paucitati), Tac. H. 2, 23: potestate, Lact. 5, 20 (also Caes. B. C. 1, 12, 2, several good MSS. have voluntate; and id. ib. 3, 97, 2: eo loco, v. Oud. on the former pass.).—
ε Absol. : (facis) ex confidente actutum diffidentem denuo, Plaut. Merc. 5, 2, 15: jacet, diffidit, abjecit hastas, Cic. Mur. 21, 45: ita graviter aeger, ut omnes medici diffiderent. id, Div. 1, 25, 53: de Othone, diffido, id. Att. 12, 43, 2 al.
VII —Hence, diffīdens , entis, P. a., without self-confidence, diffident, anxious , Suet. Claud. 35; id. Tib. 65. —Adv.: diffīdenter , without self-confidence, diffidently (very rare): timide et diffidenter attingere aliquid, * Cic. Clu. 1, 1: agere, Liv. 32, 21, 8: incedere, Amm. 26, 7, 13.— Comp. : timidius ac diffidentius bella ingredi, Just. 38, 7, 4.