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
Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2025
In the late '90s and early aughts, he could be spotted playing the confidantes of Julia Roberts' character in My Best Friend's Wedding and Madonna's in The Next Best Thing.
—Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
Early speculation has alighted on unscripted chief, and Moore confidante, Kate Phillips taking on the caretaker role while recruitment is live.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2025
This month marks the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the original objective of which is not fully known outside of Putin’s circle of confidantes.
—Michael Szalma, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 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 1 Apr. 2025.
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confidante
noun
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