in confidence

Idioms  

1. Also, in strict confidence. Privately, on condition that what is said will not be revealed. For example, The doctor told her in confidence that her mother was terminally ill, or He told us in strict confidence that Gail was pregnant. This idiom was first recorded in 1632. Also see take into one's confidence.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in confidence

“Thanks in large part to the agreement,” Wade said, “there is a surge in confidence about the future of Venezuela’s oil industry and, as a direct result, substantial new investments are flowing into the country.”

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

The decline in confidence comes despite the Ifo Institute’s business sentiment index on Thursday rising to a more-than-three-year high.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

But Roma's success with Malen may owe as much to how he is being used as to any change in confidence or form.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

In the years since their fighters swept into Kabul on 15 August 2021, they've grown in confidence and consolidated control despite intermittent attacks by armed opposition groups based abroad, as well as Islamic State fighters.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

I had Miss Nesbitt in both tenth and eleventh grades, and during those years I grew in confidence.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

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Related Words

• clandestinely
• covertly
• furtively
• personally
• privately
• quietly
• stealthily
• surreptitiously

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