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Synonyms

self-doubt

American  
[self-dout] / ˈsɛlfˈdaʊt /

noun

  1. lack of confidence in the reliability of one's own motives, personality, thought, etc.

self-doubt British  

noun

  1. the act or state of doubting oneself

"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

Other Word Forms

  • self-doubting adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-doubt

First recorded in 1840–50

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.

In the space of 100 seconds on the slopes of Cortina, the greatest skier of all time had banished eight years of Olympic misery, nightmares, and self-doubt to become a champion again.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

All the self-doubt Scotland owned now transfers to England.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

He would presumably say that he just wants to purge “the West” of its toxic self-doubt.

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

The only costumed characters are actors playing costumed characters; the only villains, apart from the bureaucracy that seeks to bring him in, are Simon’s own self-doubt and temper.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

Fadi gazed down at the photo, and self-doubt crept into his heart.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.