confidante
noun
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.
Examples of confidante in a Sentence
Dan Heching, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
His other confidantes at the time included two of Brazil’s most influential singer-songwriters, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, who had been exiled from their homeland by Brazil’s brutal military dictatorship.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
The gift united critics from across the political spectrum, ranging from top Democrats to MAGA influencers like Trump confidante Laura Loomer.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 29 July 2025
After her crushing loss to President Donald Trump, Harris has remained huddled with close confidantes and advisors to plan her political future.
—Cnn.com, Mercury News, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for confidante
Cite this Entry
“Confidante.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confidante. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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confidante
noun
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