overconfidence

American  

[oh-ver-kon-fi-duhns] / ˈoʊ vərˈkɒn fɪ dəns /

noun

1. the quality of having an unrealistically high opinion of one’s own judgment, ability, powers, etc..

   Underestimating the enemy can induce laziness and encourage overconfidence.

   Psychologists have determined that overconfidence causes people to overestimate their ability to control events and underestimate risks.

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Etymology

Origin of overconfidence

over- ( def. ) + confidence ( def. )

Explanation

Overconfidence is what you've got when you're more sure of yourself than you should be. In a chess tournament, overconfidence might lead your opponent to underestimate you — which means you'll take her completely by surprise when you trounce her. Confidence is a good quality. It means you are secure and believe in yourself. Overconfidence, on the other hand, means you feel certain about your abilities or eventual success in situations that are not so clear-cut. Your overconfidence might mean you fail your driving test, for example, because you're so sure you're a great driver that you don't practice parallel parking.

Example Sentences

Warsh’s distaste for overconfidence in models and technocratic expertise has also held throughout his career.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

The episode taught him to take profits and avoid overconfidence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

The only blot was a touch of overconfidence for his dismissal, falling to Abhishek after striking back-to-back boundaries off the left-arm spinner.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2025

Now, from other people, you can take that as overconfidence.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2024

I’m not the kind of person who’s prone to premonitions or overconfidence, so I suspected that there was more to my flash than magical thinking.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• cockiness
• disrespect