confidant

noun

con·fi·dant | \ ˈkän-fə-ˌdänt also -ˌdant

, -dənt\

Definition of confidant

: one to whom secrets are entrusted especially : intimate He is a trusted confidant of the president.

Synonyms & Antonyms Is it confident or confidant? (Or is it confidante?) Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about confidant

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Synonyms & Antonyms for confidant

Synonyms

alter ego, amigo, buddy, chum, compadre, comrade, confidante, crony, familiar, friend, intimate, mate [chiefly British], musketeer, pal

Antonyms

enemy, foe

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.

Did You Know?

If you're confident of the trustworthiness of your confidants, you're inadvertently aware of the origins of the word confidant. It comes from the French noun confident, which goes back to the Italian adjective confidente, meaning "confident" or "trustworthy" and to the Latin verb confidere, meaning "to confide"—the root of which is fidere, meaning "to trust." Other descendants of confidere in English include confide, confidence,and confident, as well as confidential (which was formed from confidence).

Examples of confidant in a Sentence

He is a trusted confidant of the president. she's my confidant; I tell her everything without reservation

Recent Examples on the Web

The federal investigation into the lane closings has led to guilty pleas by two other confidants of Mr. Christie. — Nick Corasaniti, New York Times, "Why the ‘Bridgegate’ Scandal Could Backfire on Prosecutors," 3 July 2019 Gruber had quickly become one of the Chicago D.I.Y. rock scene’s most emotive new talents and trusted confidants after moving to the city from Cincinnati in 2014. — Jessi Roti, chicagotribune.com, "Local musician Trey Gruber’s songs find new life after his death; preserved through ‘Herculean’ effort by loved ones," 27 June 2019 Brother Julius’ closest confidants were married couple Paul and Joanne Sweetman, who assumed control over the group soon after his death. — Chris Harris, PEOPLE.com, "Self-Proclaimed 'Sinful Messiah' Sexually Abused Dozens While Leading Polygamist Doomsday Cult," 21 June 2019 Bulger, left, walks with his onetime friend and confidant Kevin Weeks in Boston in 1994. — Pierre Meilhan And Amanda Jackson, CNN, "Whitey Bulger's longtime girlfriend moved out of prison to a halfway house," 19 June 2019 Emboldened by those odds, the Nets are reportedly looking into signing DeAndre Jordan — another Durant confidant — to sweeten the deal. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Kevin Durant’s free agency: An in-depth breakdown of the superstar’s options," 26 June 2019 After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Alexander Korzhakov, Boris Yeltsin’s bodyguard, confidant and drinking buddy, built a new guard service on its ashes. — The Economist, "The improbable careers of Vladimir Putin’s bodyguards," 21 June 2019 Theatergoers in 2009 responded positively to the picture’s comic timing and conversational approach, with Eisenberg’s narration as Columbus treating the viewers like confidants. — Noel Murray, The Verge, "The Dead Don’t Die is a perfect excuse to return to Zombieland," 14 June 2019 The Treasury Department also did not sanction General Asiri, MBS’s confidant and the former deputy head of Saudi intelligence. — Daniel Benjamin, The New York Review of Books, "Reckless in Riyadh," 30 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confidant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.