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Synonyms

confident

American  
[kon-fi-duhnt] / ˈkɒn fɪ dənt /

adjective

  1. having strong belief or full assurance; sure.

    confident of fulfillment.

    Synonyms:
    positive, certain
  2. 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
    Antonyms:
    diffident, modest
  3. excessively bold; presumptuous.

  4. Obsolete. trustful or confiding.


noun

  1. a confidant.

confident British  
/ ˈkɒnfɪdənt /

adjective

  1. having or showing confidence or certainty; sure

    confident of success

  2. sure of oneself; bold

  3. presumptuous; excessively bold

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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


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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing confident

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.

See Examples For:

Burger said he was confident the experience would prove useful in his own traditional wrestling.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

His long relationship with Bass made him confident in her leadership.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

Judge William Sullivan seemed confident the case would be retried, saying in September he wanted to "get this thing moving".

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Despite the short-term choppiness, Zinsner said the company is confident in its long-term prospects and expects to gain market share as agentic AI moves deeper into the PC market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

It makes me think of Ma being so confident that Grandma’s spirit is still watching over us.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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