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 Another 20 House Republicans — including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump confidant — skipped the vote, despite pandemic procedures that allow lawmakers to vote by proxy to avoid travel to the Capitol. — Lisa Mascaro And Jill Colvin, chicagotribune.com, "Second stimulus check updates: Fate of $2,000 payments now rests with GOP’s Senate, which meets today," 29 Dec. 2020 Another 20 House Republicans — including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump confidant — skipped the vote, despite pandemic procedures that allow lawmakers to vote by proxy to avoid travel to the Capitol. — Arkansas Online, "Senate GOP blocks Democratic push for Trump's $2,000 checks," 29 Dec. 2020 Another 20 House Republicans — including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump confidant — skipped the vote, despite pandemic procedures that allow lawmakers to vote by proxy to avoid travel to the Capitol. — Time, "The House Approves Trump's $2,000 Checks, Sending the COVID-19 Relief Bill to the GOP-Led Senate," 29 Dec. 2020 Another 20 House Republicans — including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump confidant — skipped the vote, despite pandemic procedures that allow lawmakers to vote by proxy to avoid travel to the Capitol. — Lisa Mascaro, Anchorage Daily News, "Senate leader McConnell blocks first push by Democrats for vote on $2,000 pandemic relief checks," 29 Dec. 2020 Another 20 House Republicans — including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump confidant — skipped the vote, despite pandemic procedures that allow lawmakers to vote by proxy to avoid travel to the Capitol. — Tim Darnell, ajc, "Perdue, Loeffler supporting Trump’s $2,000 stimulus checks; Senate delays vote," 29 Dec. 2020 Another 20 House Republicans — including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a Trump confidant — skipped the vote, despite pandemic procedures that allow lawmakers to vote by proxy to avoid travel to the Capitol. — The Associated Press, NOLA.com, "Fate of $2,000 coronavirus stimulus checks rests with GOP-led Senate," 29 Dec. 2020 Antony Blinken, the secretary of state nominee, is a longtime Biden confidant who held posts during President Barack Obama's administration. — Editors, USA TODAY, "More COVID-19 restrictions, Trump and Biden, pre-Thanksgiving TV: 5 things to know Wednesday," 25 Nov. 2020 Perkins also served as head coach of the New York Giants from 1979-82, hiring Bill Belichick -- a close Saban confidant -- as special teams coach. — Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, "Nick Saban remembers Ray Perkins as ‘really good friend’," 9 Dec. 2020

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.