confidence
noun
Simple meaning
A feeling of trust.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahnfuhduhnsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑnfədəns
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A feeling of trust (in someone or something)
“I have confidence in our team.”
Information held in secret; a piece of information shared but to thence be kept in secret.
Self-assurance.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A feeling of trust (in someone or something)
Used this way, confidence is a common word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“I have confidence in our team.”
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “confidence in …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: confidence in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use confidence
- “I have confidence in our team.”noun
- “He took me into his confidence.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property.
A swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property.
A swindler who exploits the confidence of his victim.
Freedom from doubt.
An expression of approval and encouragement.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Having or marked by confidence or assurance.
With confidence.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: feeling of trust (in someone or something)
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Related Learning
Guides that use this word in context.
Word Differences
Assure vs. Ensure vs. Insure
Assure comforts a person, ensure guarantees an outcome, and insure protects against financial loss. Here’s how to keep them straight.
Grammar
Noun, Verb, Adjective or Adverb? How to Tell the Difference
A plain-English guide to the four main parts of speech, with real sentences, word-family clues and practice so you can identify any word by the job it does.
Use it yourself
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.