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confidence

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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionarycon·fi·dence I \ˈkän-fə-dən(t)s, -ˌden(t)s\ noun DATE 14th century1. a. a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances had perfect confidence in her ability to succeed met the risk with brash confidence b. faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way have confidence in a leader2. the quality or state of being certain : certitude they had every confidence of success3. a. a relation of trust or intimacy took his friend into his confidence b. reliance on another's discretion their story was told in strictest confidence c. support especially in a legislative body vote of confidence4. a communication made in confidence : secret accused him of betraying a confidenceSynonyms. confidence, assurance, self-possession, aplomb mean a state of mind or a manner marked by easy coolness and freedom from uncertainty, diffidence, or embarrassment. confidence stresses faith in oneself and one's powers without any suggestion of conceit or arrogance the confidence that comes from long experience assurance carries a stronger implication of certainty and may suggest arrogance or lack of objectivity in assessing one's own powers handled the cross-examination with complete assurance self-possession implies an ease or coolness under stress that reflects perfect self-control and command of one's powers answered the insolent question with complete self-possession aplomb implies a manifest self-possession in trying or challenging situations handled the reporters with great aplomb II adjective DATE 1849: of, relating to, or adept at swindling by false promises a confidence game a confidence manEnglish Etymologyconfidence c.1430, from L. confidentia, from confidentem, prp. of confidere "to have full trust or reliance," from con-, intensive prefix, + fidere "to trust" (see faith). For sense of "swindle" see con (3).Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7☞ confidencecon·fi·dence / 5kCnfidEns; NAmE 5kB:n- / nounBELIEF IN OTHERS 对他人的信心 1. [U] ~ (in sb / sth) the feeling that you can trust, believe in and be sure about the abilities or good qualities of sb / sth 信心；信任；信赖: The players all have confidence in their manager. 队员都信赖他们的经理。 A fall in unemployment will help to restore consumer confidence. 失业人数的下降会有助于恢复消费者的信心。 a lack of confidence in the government 对政府缺乏信任 The new contracts have undermined the confidence of employees. 新的合同动摇了雇员们的信心。 She has every confidence in her students' abilities. 她完全相信她学生的能力。 ⇨ see also vote of confidence , vote of no confidence BELIEF IN YOURSELF 对自己的信心 2. [U] a belief in your own ability to do things and be successful 自信心；把握: He answered the questions with confidence. 他有把握地回答了那些问题。 People often lose confidence when they are criticized. 人受到批评时经常会失去信心。 He gained confidence when he went to college. 他在走进大学门时增强了自信。 She suffers from a lack of confidence. 她深受缺乏自信心之苦。 While girls lack confidence, boys often overestimate their abilities. 女孩通常缺乏自信,而男孩则往往会高估自己的能力。 I didn't have any confidence in myself at school. 我在学校时对自己毫无信心。 FEELING CERTAIN 感到有把握 3. [U] the feeling that you are certain about sth 把握；肯定: They could not say with confidence that he would be able to walk again after the accident. 他们不能肯定他经过那场事故后还能行走。 He expressed his confidence that they would win. 他表示了自己的信心:他们必定取胜。 TRUST 信任 4. [U] a feeling of trust that sb will keep information private (对某人会保守秘密的)信任,信赖: Eva told me about their relationship in confidence. 伊娃对我透露了他们俩的关系这个秘密。 This is in the strictest confidence. 这事切勿外传。 It took a long time to gain her confidence (= make her feel she could trust me). 我花了很长的时间才赢得她的信任。 A SECRET 秘密 5. [C] (formal) a secret that you tell sb (向某人透露的)秘密,机密: The girls exchanged confidences. 女孩子们相互吐露自己的心事。 I could never forgive Mike for betraying a confidence. 迈克泄露了秘密,我决不会饶恕他。 IDIOMS ▪ be in sb's confidence to be trusted with sb's secrets 受某人信任；是某人的心腹: He is said to be very much in the President's confidence. 据说他深受总统的信任。 ▪ take sb into your confidence to tell sb secrets and personal information about yourself 向某人吐露内心秘密(或隐私): She took me into her confidence and told me about the problems she was facing. 她把我当成知己,把她面临的种种难题都向我和盘托出。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of EnglishOxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishconfidence noun 1 belief in others ADJ. absolute, complete, full, total The company needs the full confidence of its investors. | great, high, real Confidence is high among the team's supporters. | reasonable | growing, increased, increasing | new, renewed | misplaced The general's confidence in his army proved misplaced. | international | popular, public public confidence in the government | business, consumer, customer, investor, market VERB + CONFIDENCE enjoy, feel, have This government no longer enjoys the confidence of the public. We all have complete confidence in this product. | express He expressed confidence in the new plans. | be lacking in, lack | share She wished that she shared his confidence. | maintain, preserve to maintain public confidence in the system of justice | bolster, boost, build (up), enhance, improve, increase, lift, raise Higher profits should raise business confidence. | gain | command, create, develop, encourage, engender, generate, give (sb), inspire, instil The training is designed to give staff confidence in managing problems. The company's record does not really inspire confidence. | rebuild, restore, revive Only if the chairperson resigns will we be able to restore the confidence of our members. | lose This government has lost the confidence of the public. | damage, dent, sap, shake, undermine, weaken Only one bank scandal is needed to shake the confidence in the financial markets. | destroy, shatter CONFIDENCE + VERB decrease | grow, increase, rise | return Confidence has returned to the market. PREP. ~ about The captain was not lacking in confidence about his team's prospects. | ~ among a loss of confidence among investors | ~ between efforts to build confidence between employers and unions | ~ in They have no confidence in the legal system. PHRASES a crisis of confidence There is a crisis of confidence in the university about its future role. | have every/little/no/some confidence The captain of the football team said he had every confidence in his men. | a lack of confidence, a loss of confidence, a vote of (no) confidence This is a tremendous vote of confidence for the government. | a (no) confidence motion/vote The government lost a parliamentary confidence vote. 2 belief in yourself ADJ. considerable, enormous, great | sublime, supreme, tremendous, utter | added, extra | fresh, new-found | increased, increasing, growing | calm, quiet giving an outward appearance of quiet confidence | easy She spoke in a tone of easy confidence. | false All his false confidence had drained away. | inner, personal | social VERB + CONFIDENCE have She has very little confidence in her own abilities. | show | feel ‘I can explain,’ he said, with a confidence he did not feel. | brim with, exude, be full of, ooze, radiate Since she got the new job, she's been brimming with confidence. a man who exudes confidence | be lacking in, lack A lot of children are lacking in confidence. | acquire, develop, gain, gather She's gained a lot of confidence over the last year. | grow in As the weeks went by he grew in confidence. | lose During his illness he really lost his confidence. | get back, rebuild, recover, regain, restore He's really striking the ball well and has got his confidence back. | bolster, boost, build (up), enhance Winning the competition really boosted her confidence. | give sb, instil to instil confidence in staff who feel nervous about taking on new roles | dent, sap, shake, undermine, weaken Failing his exams really dented his confidence. | destroy, shatter CONFIDENCE + VERB drain (away), evaporate, go My confidence went completely after my first major defeat. | grow, increase, rise Their confidence grew with each success. | return CONFIDENCE + NOUN boost, booster The home side badly need a confidence booster. | building Getting the certificate does a lot in terms of confidence building. PREP. with ~ She answered the question with confidence. | ~ about I lacked confidence about how I looked | ~ in his confidence in himself PHRASES a lack of confidence, a loss of confidence 3 trust ADJ. absolute, complete, full, total | mutual VERB + CONFIDENCE enjoy, have The Cabinet must enjoy the confidence of Parliament. | keep, retain | gain, get, win | build an environment which builds mutual confidence | betray, break | place, put Are we to place confidence in a minister who cannot remember a phone call he made last week? | withhold | take sb into She thought she might take Leo into her confidence. CONFIDENCE + NOUN trick, trickster PREP. in ~ She told me in confidence?I couldn't break that confidence, could I? PHRASES a breach of confidence Telling other people what I'd said was a total breach of confidence. | in strict confidence Enquiries will be dealt with in the strictest confidence. 4 secret ADJ. whispered VERB + CONFIDENCE exchange, share The girls exchanged whispered confidences. | keep | betray I could never forgive Mike for betraying a confidence. | encourage, invite She didn't encourage confidences. PHRASES an exchange of confidencesMerriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Editionn. Function: noun 1 Synonyms: TRUST 1, dependence, faith, hope, reliance, stock Contrasted Words: distrust, mistrust; despair, hopelessness Antonyms: doubt; apprehension 2 a feeling or showing of adequacy and reliance on oneself and one's powers FF1C;had serene confidence in his own ability to winFF1E; Synonyms: aplomb, assurance, self-assurance, self-assuredness, self-confidence, self-trust; compare EQUANIMITY Related Words: courage, mettle, resolution, spirit, tenacity; brashness, impudence, presumption Contrasted Words: apprehension, incertitude, misgiving, self-depreciation, self-doubt, uncertitude Antonyms: diffidence 3 Synonyms: CERTAINTY, assurance, assuredness, certitude, conviction, sureness, surety 4 Synonyms: EFFRONTERY, brashness, brass, cheek, chutzpah, ||crust, face, gall, nerve, presumptionWebster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridgedcon·fi·denceI. \ˈkänfədən(t)s also -dən- or -ˌden-\ noun(-s)Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin confidentia, from confident-, confidens (present participle of confidere to confide) + -ia -y1. : the state of one that confides : trust, reliance, belief < a cheerful confidence in the mercy of God — T.B.Macaulay >2. : feeling or consciousness of reliance on oneself or one's circumstances : self-confidence < a doctor's increasing confidence and skill > < painters who had … lost their confidence — W.B.Yeats >3. : the state of feeling sure : certitude — usually used with of < great confidence of success > < the level of confidence accepted for a given set of statistical data >4. : brashness, presumption, impudence < he had that confidence which the first thinker of anything never has, for all thinkers … approach the truth full of hesitation and doubt. Confidence comes from repetition, from the breath of many mouths — W.B.Yeats >5. obsolete : an object of faith or reliance < for the Lord shall be thy confidence — Prov 3:26 (Authorized Version) >6. a. : a relation or state of trust or intimacy between persons who confide in each other < take a friend into one's confidence concerning a private affair > b. obsolete : trustworthiness c. : a communication made in confidence < the confidences between lawyer and client > d. : trust in or support of the policy or action of a prime minister and his cabinet expressed by a formal vote of the legislature in a parliamentary system of governmentSynonyms: see trustII. adjective: having to do with the appropriation by a swindler of funds entrusted to him usually by a dupe promised large and easy profits from a type of investment not generally considered ethical < confidence game > < confidence man >III. transitive verb(-ed/-ing/-s): to swindle especially by exploiting confidence or desire for quick gain

Confidence Confidence Confidence. Feeling One's Lack Sb I