Definition of CONFIDANT

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 Former Nissan executive Greg Kelly – known as Ghosn’s gatekeeper and confidant – was indicted for allegedly helping him under-report income but was released on bail Dec. 25. — Washington Post, "Why Ghosn’s Back in Jail and What It Says About Japan," 18 Sep. 2019 Valerie Jarrett, the close confidant of former President Barack Obama, and billionaire and former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker have also invested in the startup. — Matt Egan, CNN, "Sallie Krawcheck: Wall Street's lack of diversity contributed to the financial crisis," 21 June 2019 One day in late May 2016, Roger Stone — the political dark sorcerer and longtime confidant of Donald Trump — slipped into his Jaguar and headed out to meet a man with a Make America Great Again hat and a viscous Russian accent. — Manuel Roig-franzia And Rosalind S. Helderman, chicagotribune.com, "Trump associate Roger Stone reveals new contact with Russian national during 2016 campaign," 17 June 2018 Standing with Jay Rothman, ESPN’s longtime Monday Night Football producer and another Gruden confidant, Davis believed the gray skies overheard would soon clear—even if that hasn’t yet been the case. — Jenny Vrentas And Greg Bishop, SI.com, "The Raiders Are Jon Gruden’s Show Now," 6 Sep. 2019 Chris Christie, a friend and confidant of President Trump, gave him a no-nonsense piece of advice early in his White House term: Don’t tweet about the Russia investigation. — Peter Nicholas, WSJ, "Christie Says He Warned Trump About Tweets," 3 Feb. 2019 The film follows a power struggle between Rachel Weisz’s character, a longtime friend and confidant of Queen Anne, played by Olivia Colman, and Emma Stone’s character, a newcomer who quickly ingratiates herself with the monarch. — Adam Rathe, Town & Country, "How the Costumes in The Favourite Help Tell the Story of Queen Anne," 21 Nov. 2018 Beginning in 2002, Carvajal worked his way up Venezuela’s military intelligence division, becoming one of the closest aides and confidants of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. — Washington Post, "Ex-Venezuelan spymaster won’t waive extradition to US," 13 Sep. 2019 Mother is always ready to be your confidant, Father to be your friend, and both of us trust and hope that our daughters, whether married or single, will be the pride and comfort of our lives. — Sarah Schutte, National Review, "Louisa May Alcott: A Writer for All Ages," 22 Aug. 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.