confidence
/ˈkɒnfɪdəns/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkɑːnfɪdəns/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkän-fə-dən(t)s -ˌden(t)s/ (ame, mw)
confidence — noun
- confidencesingular
- confidencesplural
1. a feeling of being sure about how well you can do something, or the belief that
a feeling of being sure about how well you can do something, or the belief that someone or something will succeed as planned
Aoi's confidence in her public speaking skills grew after every presentation at work.
confidence + in + noun phrase
The sales team has full confidence that this year's targets will be met.
have confidence + that-clause
Losing the first match shook Kabir's confidence, but he trained harder and came back.
Roya never lost confidence in her own abilities, even when her small business faced serious financial trouble.
- self-assurance
stronger, more formal, emphasises inner calm
- faith
stronger, can imply belief without evidence
- trust
focuses on reliance on others rather than on oneself
- belief
more general, less emotional than confidence
- doubt
lack of certainty
- insecurity
lack of self-confidence
- uncertainty
state of not being sure
文法句型
confidence + in + noun/pronoun
have confidence + that-clause
用法筆記
Frequently followed by 'in' (confidence in someone/something) or a that-clause (confidence that...). Contrast with sense 4: this sense is about belief and certainty, whereas sense 4 is about the relationship of trust that allows sharing secrets.
常見錯誤
2. a piece of private or personal information that someone tells you, trusting that
a piece of private or personal information that someone tells you, trusting that you will not repeat it to others
Over coffee, Emre and Folake exchanged confidences about their families and childhoods.
exchange confidences
Manuela never repeats a confidence that a friend has shared with her in private.
The diary contained all the confidences she had never dared to say out loud.
Chiara told her sister a confidence she had kept hidden for years about their move abroad.
- secret
more general, does not imply trust or intimacy
- private matter
more formal, emphasises the personal nature
- public knowledge
something everyone knows
文法句型
share confidences with
exchange confidences
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1, this sense is countable ('a confidence' / 'confidences') and refers to the actual secret information shared. The phrase 'in confidence' (sense 3) describes the manner of sharing rather than the secret itself.
常見錯誤
3. a situation in which information is given to someone with the clear understandin
a situation in which information is given to someone with the clear understanding that it will not be passed on to anyone else
Kabir told his manager about the job offer in confidence, asking her not to mention it to the team.
tell someone something in confidence
The lawyer keeps all client communications in strict confidence under professional rules.
in strict confidence
Pim accepted the documents on the understanding that they were shared in confidence.
Yasmin only discussed the budget problems in confidence with the finance director.
- confidentially
adverb, more formal, used in professional settings
- privately
simpler, less formal
- publicly
openly, without secrecy
文法句型
tell someone something in confidence
in strict confidence
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed prepositional phrase 'in confidence' (or 'in strict confidence'). The noun does not take an article here. Do not confuse with sense 2 — 'in confidence' is an adverbial phrase describing how something is said, not the secret itself.
常見錯誤
4. the state of having a close, trusting relationship in which people share persona
the state of having a close, trusting relationship in which people share personal thoughts and secrets, believing the other person will keep them private
After months of working side by side, Gabriela took Aoi into her confidence and told her about the family struggles.
take someone into one's confidence
Aaron was never the type to take a colleague into his confidence, preferring to keep his problems to himself.
Their friendship grew into a deep confidence where neither feared judgment from the other.
The night-shift nurse took her junior colleague into her confidence during their long hours together.
- distance
emotional or social separation
文法句型
take someone into one's confidence
用法筆記
Primarily appears in the idiomatic phrase 'take someone into your confidence' (to begin trusting someone with personal secrets). Unlike sense 1, this sense is about trust in a relationship rather than belief in abilities. Unlike sense 2, it describes the relationship or state, not the secret itself.
常見錯誤
confidence — adjective
- confidencepositive
- more confidencecomparative
- most confidencesuperlative
1. used to describe a type of fraud in which the criminal first earns the victim's
used to describe a type of fraud in which the criminal first earns the victim's trust and then cheats them out of money or property
Romi's uncle lost his life savings to a confidence trick run by a man claiming to be a bank officer.
confidence trick: a fraud that relies on gaining trust
The newspaper warned readers about a confidence scheme targeting elderly homeowners by offering fake repair services.
In old movies, the confidence man always wore a fine suit and spoke with perfect politeness.
- con
shortened form, informal, more common in everyday speech
- fraudulent
broader, covers any type of deception, not just trust-based schemes
文法句型
confidence + noun (trick / man / scheme / game)
用法筆記
This adjective only appears before specific nouns — 'confidence trick', 'confidence man', 'confidence scheme', 'confidence game'. It is never used predicatively (*'The scheme was confidence'). The closest synonym is 'con' as in 'con artist' or 'con game', which is derived from 'confidence'.