confident

adjective

con·​fi·​dent ˈkän-fə-dənt 

-ˌdent

1

: full of conviction : certain

confident of success

confident that conditions will improve

2

: having or showing assurance and self-reliance

a confident young businessman

a confident manner

3

obsolete : trustful, confiding

confidently adverb

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

• assured
• secure
• self-asserting
• self-assured
• self-confident

Examples of confident in a Sentence

I am confident about my ability to do the job.

The players seem more relaxed and confident this season.

He has become more confident in his Spanish-speaking skills.

They have a confident air about them.

We are confident that conditions will improve soon.

Recent Examples on the Web

The survey showed 73% of chief executives surveyed were confident in their company growth prospects, compared to 70% in September and to 64% in January last year. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2025

The surgeons, however, were confident about the procedure for the four-time PGA Tour winner. —Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025

For his part, quarterback Jalen Hurts looked poised and confident in the pocket (despite taking a safety against the Rams), completing 75 percent of his passes with snow circling in Lincoln Financial Field. —Jess Bryant, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025

CFOs were not just confident about the economy as a whole. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin confīdent-, confīdens "trusting in oneself, assured, presumptuous," from present participle of confīdere "to put trust in, have confidence in, be sure" — more at confide

First Known Use

circa 1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

confident

adjective

con·​fi·​dent ˈkän-fəd-ənt 

-fə-ˌdent

: having or showing confidence : sure, self-assured

confident of winning

a confident manner

confidently adverb