confidence

American  

[kon-fi-duhns] / ˈkɒn fɪ dəns /

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.

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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.

confidence British  

/ 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. as a secret

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confidence More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing confidence

• in confidence
• take into one's confidence

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Usage

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.

Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

• hyperconfidence noun
• nonconfidence noun
• superconfidence noun

Etymology

Origin of confidence

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

Explanation

The noun confidence means "a feeling of trust and firm belief in yourself or others." A person who walks into a room, smiling at everyone and not at all nervous about the speech she's about to give? She has confidence. Confidence comes from the Middle French word of the same spelling, which means "firmly trusting, bold." You can have confidence in yourself, another person, your country, even your rain boots — what you put your confidence in will not let you down. Confidence can also mean "in secret," like when your neighbor tells you in confidence that he and his family are thinking of moving away — he doesn't want others to know.

Example Sentences

Recent indicators suggest consumer confidence weakened in March, during the early stages of the war in Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

"It will allow us to serve the touring ecology better, giving organisations the confidence they need to innovate, collaborate, and continue to tour and present brilliant work to audiences nationally and internationally."

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Oppenheimer analysts, however, took this month’s stock purchases from Cook and Hill as a vote of confidence in the company.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

Snapchat’s user growth worldwide has been climbing, fueled by India and Pakistan, but investor confidence in the company has been waning as it loses money.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

I didn’t have much confidence in law and order, but it seemed like something a mother might do.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

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