confidence

[ kon-fi-duhns ]

noun

1. full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing:

   We have every confidence in their ability to succeed.

   Synonyms: dependence, reliance, faith

   Antonyms: mistrust

2. belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance:

   His lack of confidence defeated him.

3. certitude; assurance:

   He described the situation with such confidence that the audience believed him completely.

4. a secret that is confided or imparted trustfully:

   The friends exchanged many confidences over the years.

5. vote of confidence.
6. presumption; impudence:

   Her disdainful look crushed the confidence of the brash young man.

7. Archaic. something that gives confidence; ground of trust.

confidence

/ ˈkɒnfɪdəns /

noun

1. a feeling of trust in a person or thing

   I have confidence in his abilities

2. belief in one's own abilities; self-assurance
3. trust or a trustful relationship

   take me into your confidence

4. something confided or entrusted; secret
5. in confidence
   in confidence as a secret

Other Words From

• hy·per·con·fi·dence noun
• non·con·fi·dence noun
• su·per·con·fi·dence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of confidence¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin confīdentia; confide, -ence

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in confidence, as a secret or private matter, not to be divulged or communicated to others; with belief in a person's sense of discretion:

   I told him in confidence.

More idioms and phrases containing confidence

In addition to the idiom beginning with confidence , also see in confidence ; take into one's confidence .

Synonym Study

See trust. Confidence, assurance both imply a faith in oneself. Confidence may imply trust in oneself or arrogant self-conceit. Assurance implies even more sureness of oneself; this may be shown as undisturbed calm or as offensive boastfulness.

Example Sentences

Put your foot down, and the car plows forward with the confidence of internal combustion.

From TechCrunch

Men, on the other hand, generally tend not to suffer such qualms and, as a result, seem more willing to aspire to challenging positions, with the hope and confidence that they will grow into the job.

From Quartz

He was alternately starting and coming off the bench, and whether it was his role or his confidence or something else entirely, things just … weren’t clicking.

From FiveThirtyEight

If their confidence wavers, they’ll pull their money out and stop using the bank.

From Fortune

As confidence in government decays because of mismanaged pandemic responses, trust will likely shift to the local level.

From MIT Technology Review

But locals there say any money deposited is thrown into an unlocked cupboard behind the tellers, hardly inspiring confidence.

From The Daily Beast

For his part, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has expressed his “full confidence” in Representative Scalise.

From The Daily Beast

What designer West lacks in productivity, he more than makes up for in pure, unadulterated confidence and blind anger.

From The Daily Beast

The FARC has a long way to go to win the confidence of the Colombian people.

From The Daily Beast

Mailer would argue, for example, that timidity does more harm to the novelist than donning a mask of extreme self-confidence.

From The Daily Beast

With childlike confidence he follows the advice of some more or less honest dealer.

From Project Gutenberg

We have been in the profession some years, Mr. Pickwick, and have been honoured with the confidence of many excellent clients.

From Project Gutenberg

She embraced Otteline; and gave him her hand to kiss, with repeated expressions of future confidence in the husband of her friend.

From Project Gutenberg

Her work is full of life and strength, and her touch shows her confidence in herself and her technical knowledge.

From Project Gutenberg

Not more than one adult worker in ten—so at least it might with confidence be estimated—is employed on necessary things.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• assurance
• certainty
• courage
• determination
• morale
• poise
• spirit
• tenacity

More About Confidence

What does confidence mean?

Confidence is full trust or belief in the reliability of someone or something, The fans had confidence that their team would win.

Confidence is also a belief in one’s self, also called self-confidence. If you have confidence in yourself that you can earn a spot on the basketball team, you believe you can get on the team.

Confidence is also a certitude about something, as in When you walk with confidence, people pay attention to you.

A confidence is also a secret that you share with someone. To take someone into your confidence is to share a secret with them, trusting that they won’t share it with anyone else.

Example: He showed confidence during the interview so I think he is the better candidate for the position.

Where does confidence come from?

The first records of the term confidence come from the 1300s. It ultimately comes from the Latin confīdentia.

In politics, a vote of confidence is sometimes taken to gauge whether voters still trust the politician. If the result is a vote of no confidence, the politician may be removed from their position.

Another common use is in confidence trick, a scam in which someone gains the confidence of a person or organization only to trick them out of money, goods, or something else later. This is often shortened to con trick.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to confidence?

• hyperconfidence (noun)
• nonconfidence (noun)
• superconfidence (noun)

What are some synonyms for confidence?

• assurance
• certainty
• faith
• hope

What are some words that share a root or word element with confidence? 

• confide
• confidential
• confidence game

What are some words that often get used in discussing confidence?

• action
• belief
• esteem
• hope

How is confidence used in real life?

Confidence is something most people desire but not all people have.

I feel bad about all the burglars who never had the confidence to rob a house on christmas thanks to me.

— Macaulay Culkin (@IncredibleCulk) December 23, 2018

There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) November 12, 2018

Lord grant me the confidence of a person who raises their hand at a Q&A with, well, not exactly a question per se, more of a comment, an observation, really

— Dylan Marron (@dylanmarron) March 2, 2018

 

Try using confidence!

Is confidence used correctly in the following sentence?

I was so sure I would lose the election that I was full of confidence.