confidence
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the feeling that you can do things well and that people like you.
a state of self-assurance and belief in one's own abilities or qualities.
Simple“After practicing for weeks, she walked onto the stage with great confidence.”
In context“The young architect's confidence grew as the senior partners began to incorporate her innovative designs into their major urban projects.”
PitfallHe has a lot of confidence to his work. He has a lot of confidence in his work.Use the preposition 'in' when expressing trust or belief in someone or something.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a feeling of trust or belief that someone or something is good or honest.
the feeling of reliance or trust in a person, entity, or outcome.
Simple“The public has lost confidence in the government's ability to fix the economy.”
In context“Investors expressed renewed confidence in the tech sector following the release of the quarterly earnings report, which exceeded all market expectations.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
a secret that you tell someone because you trust them.
a secret or private matter shared with another person in trust.
Simple“She told me about her new job in confidence, so I didn't tell anyone else.”
In context“The diplomat shared several sensitive details in strict confidence, expecting that the journalist would respect the off-the-record nature of their conversation.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'in confidence'.
Synonymssecretprivate matter - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
the feeling of being certain that something is true or will happen.
a feeling of certainty or strong conviction regarding a fact or a future event.
Simple“I can say with confidence that our team will win the game tomorrow.”
In context“The lead researcher stated with confidence that the new data confirmed their original hypothesis, effectively ending the long-standing debate in the field.”
SynonymsAntonyms
Usage increase confidence
“Recent polling suggests confidence in the course of the war is weakening, with the share of Russians who believe the campaign in Ukraine is going well falling to its lowest level since April 2022.”
“Swiatek, 25, dropped the next game but closed out the final three with confidence, landing a clean strike on match point to end her title drought.”
From Middle English confidence, from Latin cōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence), from cōnfīdō (“believe, confide in”) from con- (“with”) + fīdō (“trust”). By surface analysis, confide + ence.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.