insecurities

IPA/ˌɪn.sɪˈkjʊə.rə.ti/
KK[ˌɪnsəkjˈʊrɪtiz]IPA/ˌɪn.səˈkjʊr.ə.t̬i/

insecurities — noun

  • insecuritiessingular
  • insecuritiesesplural

1. personal worries that come from not trusting your own value or ability, or from

1.nounB2
Definition

personal worries that come from not trusting your own value or ability, or from fearing that other people may judge you badly.

Example

Naoko hid her insecurities behind jokes during the first week at work.

hide your insecurities

After the dance audition, Romi's old body-image insecurities returned.

Common collocations
  • deep insecurities
  • childhood insecurities
  • hide your insecurities
  • reveal insecurities
  • overcome insecurities
Synonyms
  • self-doubt

    focuses more narrowly on not trusting your own ability or judgment

  • anxiety

    is broader and can come from many kinds of pressure, not only self-image

  • vulnerability

    describes being easy to hurt, while insecurities are the worried feelings that follow

Antonyms
  • confidence

    a steady belief in your own ability or worth

  • self-assurance

    stresses calm certainty about yourself in public situations

Grammar Patterns

someone's insecurities

hide / reveal / overcome insecurities

insecurities about + noun / verb-ing

Usage Note

Usually plural when talking about several personal fears or weak points. Often follows a possessive, as in 'my insecurities' or 'his insecurities,' and commonly appears with verbs such as hide, reveal, and overcome.

Common Mistakes

She has many insecurity about speaking English.
She has many insecurities about speaking English.
Use the plural form when you mean several personal worries.

2. weak points that leave a place, arrangement, or system open to harm because its

2.nounC1
Definition

weak points that leave a place, arrangement, or system open to harm because its protection or structure is not strong enough.

Example

Poor lighting and a broken gate added new insecurities to the station entrance.

unsafe weak points in a place

The report warned that old software had created serious insecurities in the hospital system.

insecurities in a system

Common collocations
  • system insecurities
  • insecurities in the system
  • address insecurities
  • expose insecurities
  • growing insecurities
Synonyms
  • vulnerabilities

    is especially common when the weak point can be attacked or exploited

  • weaknesses

    is broader and can describe any lack of strength, not only safety problems

  • risks

    focuses on possible harm, while insecurities names the exposed condition itself

Antonyms
  • safeguards

    protective measures added to prevent harm

  • protections

    general measures that keep a place or system safe

Grammar Patterns

insecurities in + place / system

expose / address insecurities

serious / growing insecurities

Usage Note

Usually appears in formal discussion of weak protection in a place or organisation. Common after 'in', especially with nouns such as system, network, border, or region.

Common Mistakes

The audit found the system insecure.
The audit found insecurities in the system.
Use the noun when you mean specific weak points, not the general adjective.

3. uncertain conditions in which people do not know if they will keep the food, hou

3.nounC1
Definition

uncertain conditions in which people do not know if they will keep the food, housing, work, or other support they need to live safely.

Example

The drought deepened food insecurities in several farming villages.

food insecurities

Job insecurities kept Vikram from signing a long apartment lease.

job insecurities

Common collocations
  • food insecurities
  • housing insecurities
  • job insecurities
  • face insecurities
  • deepen insecurities
Synonyms
  • instability

    describes an unsteady situation in general, while insecurities stresses the lack of reliable support

  • uncertainty

    is broader and may involve doubt without real danger to daily life

  • precarity

    is more academic and often used in social policy writing

Antonyms
  • stability

    a condition where support and resources continue reliably

  • security

    the safer state of having dependable protection or support

Grammar Patterns

food / housing / job insecurities

face insecurities about + noun

deepen insecurities

Usage Note

Often appears before a noun naming a basic need, especially food, housing, or job. Unlike sense 2, this sense focuses on whether people can continue getting what they need to live.

Common Mistakes

Many families face insecurity about food and rent.
Many families face insecurities about food and rent.
Use the plural form when several basic needs are uncertain at the same time.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For the personal-feelings sense, insecurity is closest to self-doubt, but it usually adds fear about how other people see you. Self-doubt is narrower: you may doubt your skill on a test or at work without worrying about acceptance. Anxiety is wider and can come from health, money, danger, or time pressure, so it does not always involve self-image. Vulnerability describes being easy to hurt or affect, while insecurity is the uneasy feeling that can grow from that state. Uncertainty is the broadest of all and may simply mean not knowing what will happen. A student can feel uncertainty about exam dates, but insecurity often appears when the student worries about looking foolish in class.

self-doubtanxiety ↗vulnerability ↗uncertainty ↗

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Insecurities' is the plural form of insecurity, a noun built from insecure plus the ending -ity. Insecure developed from the negative prefix in- added to secure. Secure goes back through French to Latin securus, a word meaning 'free from care' or 'without worry.' Over time, insecurity came to name both personal self-doubt and situations where safety or support is missing.

First known use

1646

1646, in the meaning defined above