insecurity

American  

[in-si-kyoor-i-tee] / ˌɪn sɪˈkyʊər ɪ ti /

noun

plural

insecurities

1. lack of confidence or assurance; self-doubt.

   He is plagued by insecurity.

2. the quality or state of being insecure; instability.

   the insecurity of her financial position.

   Synonyms:

   vulnerability, shakiness, precariousness

3. something insecure.

   the many insecurities of life.

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Etymology

Origin of insecurity

First recorded in 1640–50; from Medieval Latin insēcūritās; insecure, -ity

Example Sentences

The kind of job insecurity that once seemed the province of hourly, blue-collar jobs haunts white-collar professions these days.

From The Wall Street Journal

Elmer Rice’s “The Adding Machine,” an expressionist classic on automation and worker insecurity, speaks directly to an age in which livelihoods are threatened by AI innovation.

From Los Angeles Times

But insecurity has blighted much of rural Nigeria.

From BBC

The firm’s potent culture, Mr. Blankfein once said, blended confidence and excellence with “an inbred insecurity that drives people.”

From The Wall Street Journal

It fuels narratives about a future in which AI takes over the economy, leading to heightened insecurity for all of us while providing cover for companies that might be laying off workers for other reasons.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• self-doubt
• uncertainty