insecurely
adverb
Simple meaning
In a tentative and self-conscious way.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnsihkyoorleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪnsɪkˈjʊɹli
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.
adverb
In a tentative and self-conscious manner
“She always acts very insecurely in the presence of her father.”
In a manner involving risk
“Our positions here at the university are rather insecurely supported by grant money.”
In an insecure manner.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Typical Use
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In a tentative and self-conscious manner
Used this way, insecurely is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“She always acts very insecurely in the presence of her father.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “insecurely in …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: insecurely in …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Tentativeadverb
“She always acts very insecurely in the presence of her father.”
Involvingadverb
“Our positions here at the university are rather insecurely supported by grant money.”
More ways to use insecurely
- “She always acts very insecurely in the presence of her father.”adverb
- “Our positions here at the university are rather insecurely supported by grant money.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Not firm or firmly fixed.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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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.