INDEX:
1. confident
2. too confident
3. a confident feeling
4. to make someone feel more confident
5. not confident
6. to make someone feel less confident
RELATED WORDS
sure that something good will happen : ↑ SURE/NOT SURE
see also
↑ INDEPENDENT
↑ PROUD
↑ BRAVE/NOT BRAVE
↑ SHY
◆◆◆
1. confident
▷ confident /ˈkɒnfɪd ə nt, ˈkɒnfəd ə ntǁˈkɑːn-/ [adjective]
sure that you have the ability to do something well, and not worried about failing :
▪ It’s a difficult test, but she seems fairly confident.
▪ He gave his speech in a strong, confident voice.
confident about
▪ After living in France for a year, I felt much more confident about my French.
be/feel confident about (doing) something
▪ I’m not very confident about going back to work.
confident of
▪ Baldwin is confident of victory in this year’s senate race.
confidently [adverb]
▪ She answered each question confidently.
▪ ‘It’ll all work out in the end,’ said Brown confidently.
▷ self-confident /self ˈkɒnfə̇d ə ntǁ-ˈkɑːn-/ [adjective]
someone who is self-confident is very confident about their own abilities and is not shy or nervous in social situations :
▪ Jess was only 12, but she was very self-confident.
▪ I eventually became more self-confident as a public speaker.
supremely self-confident
extremely self-confident
▪ She was supremely self-confident, with the gift of being able to talk on any subject whenever the camera was rolling.
▷ self-assured /ˌself əˈʃʊəʳd◂/ [adjective]
very confident in your own abilities and able to deal calmly with other people, especially in public situations :
▪ Having done this many times before, she was self-assured and spoke without notes.
▪ On the surface Dana was calm and self-assured, but I knew that this wasn’t completely the case.
▷ assertive /əˈsɜːʳtɪv/ [adjective]
someone who is assertive behaves confidently so that they get what they want :
▪ Jack has a very assertive personality.
▪ The course helps women learn how to be more assertive in the workplace.
assertively [adverb]
▪ Try to communicate assertively - not aggressively.
assertiveness [uncountable noun]
▪ The group has been given training in public speaking and assertiveness.
▷ sure of yourself /ˈʃʊər əv jɔːʳself/ [adjective phrase]
very sure that what you think is right, even when other people do not agree with you :
▪ He sounded so sure of himself that I didn’t bother to argue.
▪ Jenny was younger than her sister but seemed much more sure of herself.
▷ extrovert /ˈekstrəvəʳt/ [countable noun]
someone who enjoys being with other people and getting a lot of attention from other people :
▪ Jan says her twin babies are completely different: Kelly is a real extrovert while Jessie is quiet and thoughtful.
▪ Most actors are natural extroverts.
▪ He’s a total extrovert who will talk to any stranger.
extrovert [adjective]
▪ The Signore was extrovert and jolly and his wife was a wonderful cook.
2. too confident
▷ overconfident /ˌəʊvəʳˈkɒnfɪd ə nt, ˌəʊvəʳˈkɒnfəd ə ntǁ-ˈkɑːn-/ [adjective]
too sure that you will succeed or win, often when you do not have the ability to do this :
▪ Murray worried that the team was becoming overconfident.
▪ As drivers, teenage boys are often overconfident and take stupid risks.
▷ cocky /ˈkɒkiǁˈkɑːki/ [adjective] informal
too confident about yourself and your abilities, especially in a way that annoys other people :
▪ a cocky young lieutenant
▪ My brother can be a little bit cocky sometimes.
▪ She didn’t come off well in the interview - she was a bit too cocky, a bit too sure of herself.
▷ brash /bræʃ/ [adjective]
someone who is brash is very confident in an annoying way, for example because they talk too loudly and never listen to other people :
▪ The hotel bar was full of brash, noisy journalists.
▪ a brash young salesman from New York
3. a confident feeling
▷ confidence /ˈkɒnfɪd ə ns, ˈkɒnfəd ə nsǁˈkɑːn-/ [uncountable noun]
the feeling that you have the ability to do things well, and to not make mistakes or be nervous in new situations :
▪ You need patience and confidence to be a good teacher.
have the confidence to do something
▪ ‘We have the confidence to beat Brazil,’ said Sampson.
▪ After the accident it took a long time before she had the confidence to get back in a car again.
full of confidence
very confident
▪ I went into the test full of confidence, but it was more difficult than I had imagined.
▷ self-confidence /self ˈkɒnfə̇d ə nsǁ-ˈkɑːn-/ [uncountable noun]
a strong belief that you can do things well and that other people will like you, which means you behave confidently in most situations :
▪ He’s new in the job but he has plenty of self-confidence.
▪ Studies show that girls tend to lose some of their self-confidence in their teenage years.
▪ Students who get some kind of work experience develop greater self-confidence and better communication skills.
▷ morale /məˈrɑːlǁməˈræl/ [uncountable noun]
the level of confidence, satisfaction, and hope that people feel, especially a group of people who work together :
low/high morale
▪ Morale among the soldiers has been low.
keep up morale
keep it at a high level
▪ They sang songs to keep up their morale until the rescuers arrived.
▷ assurance/self-assurance /əˈʃʊ ə rəns, ˌself əˈʃʊ ə rəns/ [uncountable noun]
a feeling of calm confidence in your own abilities, especially because you have a lot of experience :
▪ She envied the older woman’s assurance.
▪ Danby spoke to the committee with the self-assurance of an expert.
▷ belief in yourself /bɪˈliːf ɪn jɔːʳˌself, bəˈliːf ɪn jɔːʳˌself/ [noun phrase]
confidence in your own abilities, value, and judgment, which makes it likely that you will be successful at something :
▪ You must have belief in yourself if you want to make it as an actor.
▪ To acquire that level of skill requires years of training and an unfailing belief in yourself.
▷ self-esteem /ˌself ɪˈstiːm/ [uncountable noun]
the feeling that you are someone who deserves to be liked and respected :
▪ Getting a job did a lot for her self-esteem.
▪ Sports should build a child’s self-esteem, not damage it.
4. to make someone feel more confident
▷ give somebody confidence /ˌgɪv somebody ˈkɒnfə̇d ə nsǁ-ˈkɑːn-/ [verb phrase]
▪ Teaching abroad was good for me. It gave me a lot of confidence.
▪ ‘The activities,’ said Harris, ‘are designed to give children confidence in their reading abilities.’
give somebody the confidence to do something
▪ The country needs the backing of the international community to give it the confidence to rebuild its war-battered economy.
▷ boost somebody’s confidence /ˌbuːst somebodyˈs ˈkɒnfə̇d ə nsǁ -ˈkɑːn-/ [verb phrase]
an event or action that boosts someone’s confidence quickly makes them feel more confident :
▪ Winning this game will really boost the team’s confidence.
▪ To boost my confidence I went for a haircut and bought some new clothes.
▷ build/build up (somebody’s) confidence /ˌbɪld, ˌbɪld ʌp somebodyˈs ˈkɒnfə̇d ə nsǁˈkɑːn-/ [verb phrase]
to gradually make someone feel more confident :
▪ The games are designed to make maths fun and build up youngsters’ confidence.
▪ Build confidence by assigning tasks which draw on an employee’s areas of strength.
▷ boost morale/raise morale /ˌbuːst məˈrɑːl‖-ˈræl, ˌreɪz məˈrɑl‖-məˈræl/ [verb phrase]
to raise the level of confidence and satisfaction among a group of people :
▪ A pay raise would boost employee morale a great deal.
▪ Visits by celebrities and politicians were meant to boost morale among the troops.
▷ boost somebody’s ego /ˌbuːst somebodyˈs ˈiːgəʊ/ [verb phrase]
to make someone feel more confident about themselves, for example by saying good things about their appearance, character, or work :
▪ It was nice to have my work praised for once -- it really boosted my ego.
▪ The fact that Jane was attracted to him boosted his ego quite a bit.
▷ give somebody a boost/a lift /ˌgɪv somebody ə ˈbuːst, ə ˈlɪft/ [verb phrase]
to make someone feel happier or more confident :
▪ Nothing could have given the team a bigger boost than the victory over Canada.
▪ When I was feeling down, talking to Marion always gave me a lift.
5. not confident
▷ lack confidence/be lacking in confidence /ˌlæk ˈkɒnfə̇d ə ns, biː ˌlækɪŋ ɪn ˈkɒnfə̇d ə nsǁ-ˈkɑːn-/ [verb phrase]
to not be confident about your abilities or appearance :
▪ Francine lacks confidence and needs a lot of encouragement and support.
▪ I was fat, had no friends, and lacked confidence.
▪ While girls lack confidence, boys often overestimate their abilities.
▷ lose confidence /ˌluːz ˈkɒnfə̇d ə ns ǁ-ˈkɑːn-/ [verb phrase]
to stop feeling confident, especially after making a mistake :
▪ ‘How was your driving test?’ ‘Terrible - I made one small mistake, and then I just lost confidence.’
▪ People tend to lose confidence if they’ve been out of work for a while.
▷ unsure of yourself /ʌnˈʃʊər əv jɔːʳself/ [adjective phrase]
to not be confident, especially because you are young or you do not have much experience :
▪ At first, Chris seemed nervous and unsure of herself.
▪ He was only 21 and still very unsure of himself with girls.
▷ insecure /ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊəʳ/ [adjective]
not confident about making decisions, trying new experiences, or forming new relationships, especially because you are worried that you are not good enough :
▪ Ben’s parents’ divorce left him lonely and insecure.
insecure about
▪ Even though she’s a model, she’s very insecure about how she looks.
▷ demoralized /dɪˈmɒrəlaɪzdǁ-ˈmɔːr-/ [adjective]
if a person or a group of people are demoralized, they have lost all their confidence that they can succeed at something and are unwilling to continue with it :
▪ a demoralized work force
▪ Many employees became demoralized and cynical when the company announced another round of job cuts.
utterly/thoroughly demoralized
▪ The team was a wreck - thoroughly demoralized after a humiliating season.
▷ discouraged /dɪsˈkʌrɪdʒdǁ-ˈkɜː-/ [adjective]
not confident about something you are trying to achieve, because you have had difficulty achieving it :
▪ I was very discouraged at the time, but I still hoped we could find a solution.
get/become discouraged
▪ Students with learning difficulties who do not have a dedicated teacher can become discouraged very easily.
discouraged by
▪ Discouraged by her failed marriages, she gradually withdrew from the world.
discouraged about
▪ Hartman was so discouraged about the way his performing career was going, that he gave up acting for writing.
6. to make someone feel less confident
▷ shake/damage (somebody’s) confidence /ˌʃeɪk, ˌdæmɪdʒ somebodyˈs ˈkɒnfə̇d ə nsǁ -ˈkɑːn-/ [verb phrase]
if something shakes or damages someone’s confidence, it makes them feel unsure of their abilities and less confident :
▪ Being fired really shook his confidence.
badly shaken
▪ Her confidence was badly shaken when she was involved in a car accident a few years ago.
▷ demoralizing /dɪˈmɒrəlaɪzɪŋǁ-ˈmɔːr-/ [adjective]
making people feel that they cannot be successful at something they are trying to do, so that they become unwilling to continue with it :
▪ the demoralizing effects of unemployment
▪ Many of the teachers found the school board’s criticism unfair and demoralizing.
▪ Rivas says being on welfare was a demoralizing and humiliating experience.
▷ take the wind out of somebody’s sails /teɪk ðə ˌwɪnd aʊt əv somebodyˈs ˈseɪlz/ [verb phrase] informal
to make someone lose their confidence, especially by saying or doing something unexpected :
▪ Last night’s defeat has taken some of the wind out of the team’s sails.
▷ discourage /dɪsˈkʌrɪdʒǁ-ˈkɜː-/ [transitive verb]
to make someone feel less confident about something they are trying to achieve :
▪ What discouraged me most was our lack of progress in the pay negotiations.
▪ Although the troubles in the financial markets have made him cautious, Reid said they haven’t discouraged him.
▷ discouraging /dɪsˈkʌrɪdʒɪŋǁ-ˈkɜː-/ [adjective]
making someone feel less confident about something they are trying to achieve :
▪ My father made a few discouraging remarks about my academic abilities that have stayed with me to this day.
▪ Despite discouraging viewing figures for their movie ‘For the Boys’, Paramount decided to try to make another similar film.
be discouraging to do something
▪ It’s very discouraging to find out that your own team members have been lying to you.
discouraging that
▪ It is deeply discouraging that the government can struggle with the nation’s budget for nearly a year and still fail to achieve anything.