confident
Very sure of something; positive.
Word facts
Definition of Confident
Self-assured, self-reliant, sure of oneself.
Example sentences
I'm pretty confident that she's not lying, she's acting normally.
Using Confident well
A closer look at how confident is used — meaning in plain English, how close synonyms differ, and examples at different levels.
Sure of yourself and your abilities, or certain that something will happen or is true.
Use it for a settled, self-assured attitude or a firm belief in an outcome, in both casual and professional settings. It suits praise and self-description as long as it stops short of arrogance.
Job interviews and resumes, coaching and feedback, sports and performance talk, and forecasts where you state how sure you are.
Do not confuse 'confident' (self-assured) with 'confidant', a noun for a person you trust with secrets; they sound alike but differ by one letter and in meaning.
- self-assured
- Emphasizes an inner, settled poise about oneself; slightly more formal and less about a specific outcome than confident.
- assertive
- About standing up for your views and needs plainly; you can be assertive without feeling confident, and vice versa.
- poised
- Stresses calm, graceful composure under pressure rather than certainty of success.
- cocky
- Negative; confidence tipped into brash overestimation that others find off-putting.
- self-possessed
- Formal and admiring; highlights calm control of one's emotions, especially in tense moments.
- insecure
- Points to deep-seated self-doubt about one's worth or abilities.
- hesitant
- Milder; describes holding back or pausing out of uncertainty in the moment.
- diffident
- Formal; a shy, modest lack of self-assurance rather than active anxiety.
- doubtful
- Leans toward uncertainty about a fact or outcome more than about oneself.
- Beginner He felt confident before the test because he had studied hard.
- In writing She walked into the meeting confident, having rehearsed every likely question the night before.
- Advanced The report is cautiously confident: the authors believe the trend will hold, but they hedge every figure with a margin of error.
Confident ends in 'dent' but leaves none — a confident person isn't dented by doubt; just watch the spelling against 'confidant'.
Synonyms for Confident
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FAQ
Questions people ask
What does confident mean?
Very sure of something; positive. It is an adjective.
How many syllables does confident have?
There are 3 syllables in confident, divided as kahn·fuh·duhnt when spoken.
What part of speech is confident?
In a sentence, confident functions as an adjective. As a noun, it names a thing, idea, or concept.
What are synonyms for confident?
Close in meaning to confident are positive, cocksure, bold, assured — choose the one whose tone fits your sentence.
How do you use confident in a sentence?
Example: "I'm pretty confident that she's not lying, she's acting normally."