confident

adjective

con·​fi·​dent ˈkän-fə-dənt 

-ˌdent

1

: full of conviction : certain

confident of success

confident that conditions will improve

2

: having or showing assurance and self-reliance

a confident young businessman

a confident manner

3

obsolete : trustful, confiding

confidently adverb

Did you know?

Is it confident or confidant? (Or is it confidante?)

If you find yourself unsure whether you should choose confident or confidant don’t feel bad; confidant comes to English from the French word confident, and when the word first entered our language it was often spelled that way, rather than as confidant. The difference is quite simple: confidant is a noun (meaning "a person in whom you confide things"), and confident is an adjective (defined as “having confidence”). You may well be confident in your confidant, but you would not be confidant in your confident. Although this distinction has not always been observed by writers, confidante is generally used for a female confidant. The word confidant is more frequently used to describe a man, but it may be applied to either gender.

Synonyms

• assured
• secure
• self-asserting
• self-assured
• self-confident

Examples of confident in a Sentence

I am confident about my ability to do the job.

The players seem more relaxed and confident this season.

He has become more confident in his Spanish-speaking skills.

They have a confident air about them.

We are confident that conditions will improve soon.

Recent Examples on the Web

While Glasnow’s pitch count was up to 86 at the start of the seventh, manager Dave Roberts decided to leave him in, confident the club’s key offseason trade acquisition and opening day ace — who had already eclipsed 100 pitches twice this season — hadn’t yet emptied the tank. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2024

Lawyers have argued that RNC must be involved in lawsuits in order to make sure that people can be confident in the outcome of the election, trust the democratic process, and inspire other Republicans to turn out to vote. —USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2024

Despite the stock's 34% drop this year, Baron remains confident in its recovery, attributing the fall to temporary concerns rather than fundamental issues. —Detroit Free Press, 27 Apr. 2024

But Boeing still seems confident about getting back on its feet in the near future. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 26 Apr. 2024

The aging telescope has overcome other setbacks during its time in orbit, and NASA seems confident in its recovery. —Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 26 Apr. 2024

When asked if the company could develop self-driving cars without him, Musk was confident the work was close to completion. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024

Most of us wouldn't dare ask the question, but Tyler Fabregas is a confident 2-year-old boy. —S. Dev, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2024

That said, pregnant people and their families should feel confident that acetaminophen is safe and should not avoid using it when necessary, says Dr. Keough. —Sarah Scott, Parents, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin confīdent-, confīdens "trusting in oneself, assured, presumptuous," from present participle of confīdere "to put trust in, have confidence in, be sure" — more at confide

First Known Use

circa 1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

confident

adjective

con·​fi·​dent ˈkän-fəd-ənt 

-fə-ˌdent

: having or showing confidence : sure, self-assured

confident of winning

a confident manner

confidently adverb