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

“What interests me are everyman aspects of him. The banality of his evil and the way that evil actions seem to always rise out of fear and insecurity.”

From Los Angeles Times

These would both ease your worries about housing insecurity without undermining your wife’s wish to leave her broader estate to her own children.

From MarketWatch

"We cannot continue to accept an online world that profits from children's insecurities and constantly tells them they need to change or must be better."

From BBC

The CCA has had to close several times over the past few years, once due to insecurity over funding.

From BBC

I didn’t realize it at the time, but there was also insecurity there: An American embarrassed by a rough, unsophisticated America, envious of Europe’s aristocratic polish.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• self-doubt
• uncertainty