Dictionary / confidence
confidence
- noun
- from Latin
Self-assurance.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “confidence” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
noun
- countableuncountableSelf-assurance.
He entered the ring with confidence.
- countableuncountableA feeling of certainty; firm trust or belief; faith.
She had confidence it would soon end.
- countableuncountableInformation held in secret; a piece of information shared but to thence be kept in secret.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- countabledateduncountableBoldness; presumption.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (5)
- nounfreedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities — also: assurance, self-assurance, self-confidence, authority, sureness
- nouna feeling of trust (in someone or something)
- nouna state of confident hopefulness that events will be favorable
- nouna trustful relationship — also: trust
- nouna secret that is confided or entrusted to another
Antonyms: timidity, shyness, bashfulness, insecurity
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)confidence
- Middle Englishconfidence
- Latincōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence)
- Latincōnfīdō “believe, confide in”
- Latincon- “with” + fīdō “trust”
From Middle English confidence, from Latin cōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence), from cōnfīdō (“believe, confide in”) from con- (“with”) + fīdō (“trust”).
By surface analysis, confide + ence.
Derivatives — words built from “confidence”
Phrases & compounds
Want to go deeper? See also “confidence” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “confidence” came from before it was English.
The source marks part of this history as uncertain (it uses words like “perhaps” or “possibly”). Read the full etymology above before treating any single origin as certain.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
confidence n. [L. confidentia firm trust in, self-confidence: cf. F. confidence.]
- The act of confiding, trusting, or putting faith in; trust; reliance; belief; -- formerly followed by of, now commonly by in.
- That in which faith is put or reliance had.
- The state of mind characterized by one's reliance on himself, or his circumstances; a feeling of self-sufficiency; such assurance as leads to a feeling of security; self-reliance; -- often with self prefixed.
- Private conversation; (pl.) secrets shared; as, there were confidences between them.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
nounMeaning: Self-assurance.
He entered the ring with confidence.
nounMeaning: A feeling of certainty; firm trust or belief; faith.
She had confidence it would soon end.
I reposed a great deal of confidence in his judgment.
nounMeaning: freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
after that failure he lost his confidence
nounMeaning: a feeling of trust (in someone or something)
I have confidence in our team
confidence is always borrowed, never owned
nounMeaning: a state of confident hopefulness that events will be favorable
public confidence in the economy
nounMeaning: a trustful relationship
he took me into his confidence
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
confidence
/ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
confidence
/ˈkɒn.fɪ.dəns/ · noun
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “confidence” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“He entered the ring with confidence.”
Circle the meaning used.
“She had confidence it would soon end.”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “confidence” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
The earliest traceable form is Latin cōnfīdō. What did it mean?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — confidence
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. Self-assurance.
Which meaning, sentence 2: A. A feeling of certainty; firm trust or belief; faith.
Origin: D. Latin (Latin cōnfīdentia)
Journey: English confidence ← Middle English confidence ← Latin cōnfīdentia ← Latin cōnfīdō ← Latin con- + fīdō
Some derivatives: e-confidence, honfidence, inconfidence, misconfidence, nonconfidence, overconfidence, self-confidence, superconfidence
Original meaning: Latin cōnfīdō — “believe, confide in”
Built from: con- “with” + fīdō “trust”
Etymology: From Middle English confidence, from Latin cōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence), from cōnfīdō (“believe, confide in”) from con- (“with”) + fīdō (“trust”).
Sources: Wiktionary “confidence” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/confidence#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/confidence