confident
Americanadjective
-
having strong belief or full assurance; sure.
confident of fulfillment.
-
sure of oneself; having no uncertainty about one's own abilities, correctness, successfulness, etc.; self-confident; bold.
a confident speaker.
- Synonyms:
- intrepid, assured, self-reliant
-
excessively bold; presumptuous.
-
Obsolete. trustful or confiding.
noun
adjective
-
having or showing confidence or certainty; sure
confident of success
-
sure of oneself; bold
-
presumptuous; excessively bold
Usage
What are other ways to say confident?
The adjective confident means “having strong belief or full assurance.” How does confident compare to synonyms certain, sure, and positive? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of confident
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin confīdent- (stem of confīdēns ), present participle of confīdere. See confide, -ent
Explanation
If you're confident you are sure about something, someone, or yourself. He was confident he could keep his balance and cross the river on the skinny log, but he wasn't so confident that the log was strong enough to hold him. Confident is often a word of assurance. Someone may ask, "Are you sure that's the right way to do it?" and then, just to be assured, they might say, "So, you're confident that's the right wire to cut so the bomb doesn't blow?" Being really sure of something or being sure of yourself is being confident. "He held his head high, but not in an arrogant or show-off way; he was just confident about who he was. He liked himself."
Vocabulary lists containing confident
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Todaro is confident the company can continue to source new sites and execute new leases to expand that pipeline even further.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
The Braves’ Hank Aaron said to me, “If you’re confident you’ll be in the big leagues by the time your college class graduates, then sign. If not, go to school.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
There are growing signs Intel is confident it can attract external customers.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Either way, the attack suggests a leadership that is feeling more confident than many outside observers expected only a few months ago.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
He was getting confident enough to sing the water monster lullaby on his own.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
