confidante

noun

con·​fi·​dante ˈkän-fə-ˌdänt 

 also  -ˌdant,

-dənt

: confidant

especially : one who is a woman

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.

Synonyms

• alter ego
• amigo
• buddy
• chum
• compadre
• comrade
• confidant
• crony
• familiar
• friend
• intimate
• mate [chiefly British]
• musketeer
• pal

Examples of confidante in a Sentence

She was her closest friend and confidante.

only her closest confidantes know what she's going through

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout her memoir, Cher refers to Bono as a close confidante, often seeking advice or support from him in times of trouble. —Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 24 Nov. 2024

The latter quickly becomes more than a simple assistant and turns into a true confidante for Clarissa. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024

My sister Rosie, a year ahead of me in our family of 10, was my bodyguard, mentor, money lender and provider of wheels in my youth and became my sage and selfless confidante in adulthood. —David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 28 Nov. 2024

Her mother Holly Thomas, who served as her foremost role model, confidante, and motivator, had died the previous year from a brain tumor. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French confidente, feminine of confident confidant

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

confidante

noun

con·​fi·​dante ˈkän-fə-ˌdant 

-ˌdänt

: confidant

especially : one who is a woman