overconfidence

noun

over·​con·​fi·​dence ˌō-vər-ˈkän-fə-dən(t)s 

-ˌden(t)s

: an excess of confidence (as in one's abilities or judgment) : confidence that is not justified

warned against overconfidence when investing

People tend to overestimate their skills behind the wheel and underestimate the skills of the boobs and psychopaths driving around them, a phenomenon that psychologists call "optimism bias" and the rest of us simply call delusional overconfidence.

—David H. Freedman

Examples of overconfidence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And so his default or resting position is like awesomeness, overconfidence. —Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025

However, this can lead to overconfidence and misjudgment. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025

Alcohol impairment often leads to overconfidence, which may be the result of speeding, weaving through traffic and ignoring traffic signals, the Colorado Department of Transportation says. —Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025

My advice for this is to be humble without losing confidence, and self-assured without crossing into overconfidence. —Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overconfidence

• confidence