confidante

noun

con·fi·dante ˈkän-fə-ˌdänt

also -ˌdant,

-dənt

Synonyms of confidante next

: confidant

especially : one who is a woman

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.

Example Sentences

She was her closest friend and confidante. only her closest confidantes know what she's going through

Recent Examples on the Web After Gao got in touch with Kadri over Instagram, the two women quickly went from strangers to confidantes, turning to one another for support and advice as their businesses grew. —

Jean Trinh, New York Times, 12 May 2023 The boyfriend, Ryan Bane, then hired the same lawyer as Jeffrey Epstein's former confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell. —

Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 17 Mar. 2023 Last year, Seehorn finally picked up her first nomination for playing Kim Wexler, Saul Goodman’s confidante and wife. —

Clayton Davis, Variety, 8 May 2023 Women lack not just a workplace confidante, but a peer who understands the unique pressures of being one of a few. —

Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2023 In the late '90s and early aughts, he could be spotted playing the confidantes of Julia Roberts' character in My Best Friend's Wedding and Madonna's in The Next Best Thing. —

Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2023 Consider speaking to trusted friends and confidantes, an expert like a therapist or counselor, or even an anonymous hotline. —

Ysolt Usigan, Woman's Day, 17 Mar. 2023 Daisy Head as Genya Safin Age: 31 The English actress plays Genya, a Grisha tailor who acted as Alina's confidante in season 1 of Shadow and Bone. Luke Pasqualino as David Kostyk Age: 33 Luke plays David, a soldier who ranks high in General Kirigan's army. —

Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 16 Mar. 2023 Few knew, except his wife and a close circle of confidantes. —

The Indianapolis Star, 9 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confidante.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.