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
• optimistic
• hopeful
• secure
• self-confident
• proud
• self-assured

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

Experts are over 14 times more likely than light users to apply AI across all three phases and are twice as confident in the quality of their output. —Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025

While there are some things for the Lions to overcome this season, Newton is confident in their ability to do so. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025

Cline, who plays the confident queen bee Danica Richards, is currently single. —Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 19 July 2025

For him, the emergency becomes an opportunity to project a more confident version of himself online. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 18 July 2025

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

Rhymes for confident

• overconfident

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