confident

adjective

con·​fi·​dent ˈkän-fə-dənt How to pronounce confident (audio)
-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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The big story Just a week after a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade tensions, neither side can yet be confident that the other is holding up their end of the bargain. Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 21 May 2025 The club, for their part, are confident they will be granted entry. Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 21 May 2025 This is confident cooking that’s nuanced and purposefully understated. Andy Wang, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 Sitting in the Birmingham High bleachers wearing headphones before running the 400 meters at the City Section track and field prelims, 17-year-old senior Nathan Santa Cruz looks like a teenager comfortable and confident. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for confident

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of confident was circa 1567

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Cite this Entry

“Confident.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confident. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

confident

adjective
con·​fi·​dent ˈkän-fəd-ənt How to pronounce confident (audio)
-fə-ˌdent
: having or showing confidence : sure, self-assured
confident of winning
a confident manner
confidently adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on confident

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