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Crossword clues for confidence

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
confidence
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
anger/confidence/tension/hope etc drains away
▪ Sally felt her anger drain away.
betray...confidence (=tell a secret that someone has trusted me with)
▪ I would never betray a confidence.
boost sb’s confidence/morale/ego
▪ The win boosted the team’s confidence.
brimming with confidence
▪ He seemed to be brimming with confidence.
confidence trick
confidence tricksterBritish English
▪ a slick, fast-talking confidence trickster
consumer confidence
▪ Consumer confidence reached an all-time low in September.
destroy sb’s confidence
▪ When he failed his degree, it completely destroyed his confidence.
express confidence
▪ Throughout the trial, his legal team expressed confidence in the outcome.
gain confidence
▪ The managers were gaining confidence in their ability to take calculated risks.
given...confidence
▪ The course has given me a lot more confidence.
in strict confidence/in the strictest confidence (=kept completely secret)
▪ Any information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence.
in strict confidence/in the strictest confidence (=kept completely secret)
▪ Any information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence.
inspire confidence (=make people feel confident because they trust your ability)
▪ His driving hardly inspires confidence.
▪ The hospital’s record does not inspire confidence.
instil confidence/fear/discipline etc into sb
▪ A manager’s job is to instil determination into his players.
lacking in confidence
▪ He was lacking in confidence.
lose confidence/interest/hope etc
▪ The business community has lost confidence in the government.
▪ Carol lost interest in ballet in her teens.
▪ Try not to lose heart become sad and hopeless – there are plenty of other jobs.
loss of confidence
▪ her loss of confidence in herself
morale/confidence booster
▪ Mail from home is a big morale booster for faraway troops.
muster (up) the courage/confidence/energy etc to do sth
▪ Finally I mustered up the courage to ask her out.
new hope/confidence/optimism etc (=hope etc that you have only just started to feel)
▪ a medical breakthrough that offers new hope to cancer patients
passed...vote of no confidence
▪ On April 22 the National Assembly passed a vote of no confidence in the government.
quiet confidence/satisfaction/desperation (=having a particular feeling but not talking about it)
▪ a woman whose life of quiet desperation threatens to overwhelm her
regain your confidence
▪ The players need help in regaining their confidence.
renewed interest/confidence/enthusiasm etc
▪ renewed concern about farming methods
restoring...confidence
▪ measures aimed at restoring public confidence in the education system
shatter sb’s confidence
▪ Public confidence has been shattered.
undermine sb’s confidence/authority/position/credibility etc
▪ The constant criticism was beginning to undermine her confidence.
vote of confidence
▪ On April 19 the new government won a vote of confidence by 339 votes to 207.
vote of no confidence
▪ On April 22 the National Assembly passed a vote of no confidence in the government.
won...vote of confidence
▪ On April 19 the new government won a vote of confidence by 339 votes to 207.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
absolute
▪ Morrissey armed himself with a self made shield of absolute and utter confidence.
▪ I did not fret about the delay, because by now I had absolute confidence in the men I was working with.
▪ Dalgliesh knew that no politician would have talked with such freedom unless he had had absolute confidence in his listener's discretion.
▪ An absolute confidence that what was about to happen had to happen.
▪ The niceties gave way to steely-eyed focus and thrilling adventure built on absolute confidence.
complete
▪ There was an air of complete confidence about him.
▪ We held him in high esteem and placed complete confidence in him.
▪ She had complete confidence in the young nurse, although she found it very difficult to penetrate her reserve.
▪ A man he had complete confidence in.
▪ You can buy from him in complete confidence.
▪ I predict with complete confidence that the House of Lords will never be abolished for two reasons.
▪ And then, protected against the pitfalls of this curious patois, you can book your ticket to Tokyo in complete confidence.
▪ Your shareholders have complete confidence in you.
full
▪ The vision of Doreen, head erect, and full of confidence as she rode beside Silas, was all too clear.
▪ He was a superb pilot and liked and had full confidence in the Airster.
▪ And the worst part was, everyone else seemed to understand it and strode out to the quay full of knowledgeable confidence.
▪ He possesses plain good sense, and is in the full confidence of his Countrymen.
▪ Gloucester, by contrast, kept the king's full confidence.
▪ In the fresh light of day you are full of confidence and exultation as you prepare to fulfill your dream.
▪ With the prospect of supporting her grandfather she had somehow been full of confidence about the future.
▪ It is vital that the teaching profession has full confidence in the processes of career development and advancement.
great
▪ But now they've given us a great deal of confidence to be ourselves.
▪ I had one mood from 1976 through 1986, a mood of great confidence and great optimism.
▪ Some did walk on their own, but they had great confidence.
▪ And you will find yourself swinging between moods of great confidence to bleak despair.
▪ By clarifying in your own mind the exact nature of these positions you can enter into bargaining with much greater confidence.
▪ Research and literature being published now are based on these new techniques and provide us with greater confidence in research findings.
▪ He holed a very difficult putt with great confidence.
▪ However, there is great confidence in the dynamics of the free market to motivate and coordinate human behavior.
public
▪ Only by ensuring that safety and reliability were maintained could public confidence be restored.
▪ A lack of public confidence, Mathews said, has meant no new schools since 1974.
▪ The probe was aimed at restoring public confidence in the service, she said.
▪ As public confidence in his capacity to reign has plummeted, Charles' decline has dragged the monarchy down with him.
▪ Equally important, although in many ways distinct, was a perceptible decline in public confidence.
▪ Unfortunately, however, the inquiry did little for public confidence in the independent judicial monitor.
▪ It stated that the Government's intention was to increase court and public confidence in the effectiveness of community-based penalties.
▪ In doing this, public relations creates confidence in a company's management and its products, which builds credibility.
quiet
▪ Both princes drew strength from their uncle's quiet confidence.
▪ It seemed the kind of thing that would convey old breeding and quiet confidence.
▪ We face the future with quiet confidence and great determination.
▪ Nevertheless, as the team assembled in their headquarters, there was an air of quiet confidence.
▪ The Army had another reason for quiet confidence.
▪ Fernando de la Rua, the country's hapless president, is exuding quiet confidence.
▪ Mary's response to the crisis, and the apparent rudeness of her eldest is one of quiet confidence.
strict
▪ There is nothing magical or mystical about the process, and the results are shared in strictest confidence.
▪ Because the questionnaire was conducted in strict confidence some took this opportunity to express their thoughts.
▪ They are expert at handling situations like this in strict confidence.
▪ This is a strict professional confidence!
▪ Anything you tell me will be in strict confidence if it's got nothing to do with our enquiries.
▪ Anyone who can help should telephone, extension 3045 in strict confidence.
▪ The prisoners were assured that the findings would be held in the strictest confidence.
▪ Naturally I approached Bates in the strictest confidence, but all too quickly I learned that he is just a gin-sodden loud-mouth.
■ NOUN
business
▪ All told, business confidence should return next year.
▪ Consumer and business confidence are plunging.
▪ These fluctuations can be very damaging to business confidence and may discourage long-term investment.
▪ The forces at work, each in its own way, pummeled consumer and business confidence.
▪ The uncertainty of such stop-go policies arguably reduced business confidence and discouraged investment.
▪ Bradstreet survey released today showed business confidence slumped to its lowest level in more than three and a half years.
▪ The poll highlights the problems Labour would have in raising business confidence.
▪ And while the price of oil looked like a gusher, consumer and business confidence fell down the well.
consumer
▪ The trends in both retail sales and consumer confidence are positive, the report said.
▪ Some analysts cited shaky consumer confidence as a reason for the overall dismal sales.
▪ Mr Major has already discovered that repossessions and defaults cost the government money as well as damaging consumer confidence and financial institutions.
▪ The departure of health minister Andrea Fischer and farm minister Karl-Heinz Funke follows a collapse in consumer confidence.
▪ Investors were concerned that allegations of corruption against the ruling party would hurt consumer confidence and economic growth.
▪ The most useful economic indicator to watch is consumer confidence.
▪ With increased consumer confidence comes economic growth.
interval
▪ Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.
▪ Adjusted rate ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for men and women separately by this method.
▪ The figure shows this estimated number of visits with 95% confidence intervals.
▪ Means and 95% confidence intervals are presented in text and figures.
investor
▪ It will take the dotcoms some time before they regain investor confidence.
no
▪ His concern was justified when the no confidence motion was defeated by only 447 votes to 412.
▪ Later on Nov. 23 the no confidence motion was defeated by 201 votes to 159, with six abstentions.
▪ The no confidence debate took place in a crowded Knesset on March 15.
▪ Three Foreign Ministry officials resigned but the government survived a no confidence vote on Jan. 31.
▪ Haughey dismissed two ministers before the no confidence vote.
vote
▪ No government can fail a confidence vote without suspicion that parties were bought by the opposition.
▪ On 15 April the government lost a confidence vote in parliament and Gaillard resigned.
▪ Three Foreign Ministry officials resigned but the government survived a no confidence vote on Jan. 31.
▪ If the government does lose the showdown, it seems likely that John Major will call a confidence vote 24 hours later.
▪ Parliament meets for the confidence vote on December 30.
▪ Haughey dismissed two ministers before the no confidence vote.
■ VERB
betray
▪ I can't tell you what Melanie was asking me because I don't betray other people's confidences.
boost
▪ He wasn't strong enough to boost his own confidence.
▪ With exports flagging, Thaksin wants to boost consumer confidence and spending.
▪ Go for a new hairstyle too boost your confidence.
▪ The cut in car tax and the increase in capital allowances will also help to boost confidence.
▪ I observed the rehabilitation process for people after myocardial infarction and discovered the importance of boosting personal confidence.
▪ What better to boost confidence ahead of the spring buying season.
▪ An early success can boost morale, give confidence.
▪ The government is betting this trend will boost business confidence, and thus investment and jobs.
build
▪ The unforced pace builds children's confidence and keeps their motivation strong.
▪ This year they have a chance to build some much-needed early confidence.
▪ The first step needed for building confidence is for the regime to release all political prisoners.
▪ Employees should be prepared for the change in order to reduce scepticism and to build their confidence. 5.
▪ However, the public row will do little to build confidence at Essendon.
▪ Major said holding local elections is the best immediate way to build confidence in the stalled peace process.
▪ It also argued for collective security arrangements as a means of building confidence and security in the region.
▪ As you expand the dialogue, without being intrusive, you begin to build his confidence in you.
destroy
▪ This is inherent in the nature of the charge, but the effect is to destroy confidence in its validity.
▪ From the beginning Jones worked to destroy his followers' confidence in any of the old authority figures in their lives.
▪ There were many cases of theft, misappropriation, and favouritism which tended to destroy confidence in officialdom in general.
▪ Lack of confidence can destroy it.
▪ To kick them is not only pointless, it destroys what confidence they have.
develop
▪ Secondly, the patient has time to develop confidence in staff members and other patients.
▪ By developing subordinates' confidence, the leader may instill a feeling of security.
▪ Classroom teaching is therefore important in helping the student to develop confidence and competence.
▪ Out of this new relationship, a child can often develop the warmth and confidence he or she needs.
▪ And if they don't, somehow or other you have to develop that confidence for yourself.
▪ But my newly developed confidence and self-assurance had yet to be tested.
▪ As a result I know I developed much more confidence in my ability and I've pushed my grades up.
▪ Not when the international squads are working together and developing confidence year round.
express
▪ This expresses the confidence and boldness of having said it all.
▪ Chuan and other party leaders expressed confidence that they would be forming a government soon.
▪ He and his Revolutionary Council expressed supreme confidence in their ability to stand up to the United States and its coalition partners.
▪ Once again, Chesapeake's players expressed confidence.
▪ Gunnarson expressed confidence in the financial controls the city has in place, including regular meetings with center staff.
gain
▪ Realizing this will gradually help you to gain confidence to go deeper and deeper into relaxation and experience full benefit from it.
▪ People have gained confidence in sending substantial sums off to unseen institutions and working with them long-distance.
▪ The following teacher's writing illustrates how his pupils have gained in confidence and initiative.
▪ Seeing this, finally suspecting, the auditor was able to gain her confidence and locate the despair charges.
▪ She will gain confidence in communication and management skills, and her own knowledge will be tested.
▪ One by one he gained the confidence of his followers.
▪ The role enables the researcher to gain the confidence of the group that accepts her in her false role.
▪ At 15, each had matured and gained confidence.
give
▪ The latter is chiefly intended to protect a healthy knee against injury and to give confidence to those with inherently weak joints.
▪ But I had some success in the first game and that gave me confidence I could play.
▪ He has given it continuity and confidence, matching perspiration with performance.
▪ That experience gave me confidence that I could handle the big time.
▪ Winning the John Moores would have given me just the confidence I needed.
▪ The places I've been and people I've met have given me the confidence to carry on.
▪ He encourages; he gives the child confidence in himself.
▪ He gives them confidence and compliments, both on and off the court.
grow
▪ Anyway, shut up over there, because the idea is to help men grow in confidence and esteem.
▪ In return, successful students continue to grow in confidence and competence.
▪ Middlesbrough were growing in confidence all the time, winning the midfield battle and occasionally opening the Ipswich defence.
▪ But as you grow in confidence, and experience, you will be able to realize your full potential.
▪ From a nervous start, she seemed to grow in confidence towards the end.
▪ The labor force expanded by 509, 000, a sign of growing confidence in the prospect of finding work.
▪ Now, after years of self-doubt, she was growing in confidence and beginning to shed the tensions of her formative years.
▪ It could be done: gradually, in the second half of the six months, he grew in confidence.
help
▪ Anyway, shut up over there, because the idea is to help men grow in confidence and esteem.
▪ He gave me tough assignments from the start-showed confidence in me, which helped me have confidence in myself.
▪ Discussing how to do this and preparing plans for alternative comforting will help her gain confidence and anticipation of the problems.
▪ To help me recover my confidence?
▪ The cut in car tax and the increase in capital allowances will also help to boost confidence.
▪ Streamline Graded Readers encourage students in their language learning and help them to gain confidence in their ability.
▪ Our comprehensive course will help you buy with confidence and increase your enjoyment of different wines.
▪ A course on speaking out for women is designed to help develop confidence to speak at meetings.
increase
▪ A course can increase confidence, career prospects or simply be enjoyable - all of which will never be regretted.
▪ These don't have to be permanent measures, just gentle ways of gradually increasing individual confidence.
▪ Multicultural and anti-racism training will also increase confidence in the police among minority ethnic communities.
▪ This, in turn, increases oral confidence.
▪ Comparative analysis can then increase our confidence regarding what we know about the political world.
inspire
▪ This will do more to inspire public confidence than the prison officers' negative attitude.
▪ My boy, the first and foremost work of a doctor is to inspire confidence in his being one.
▪ A test ban that could not inspire confidence would undermine stability and might even provoke a new arms race.
▪ Her strength was her ability to elicit and inspire confidences rather than fear in the people she befriended.
▪ Lukic hardly inspires confidence either in such situations.
▪ Yet he has a train of attendants on the battlefield which should inspire anyone with confidence.
▪ What impressed most was how useable this near 30-year-old car feels, and how quickly it inspires confidence.
▪ In short, he inspires confidence.
lack
▪ They may lack the confidence, the self-esteem, to venture into libraries.
▪ But he does not lack confidence or sense of manifest Elvis destiny.
▪ Maybe I lacked confidence - I didn't consider I possessed the degree of presence you need as the vital link-man.
▪ But because men lack the experience and confidence, infant care training can help.
▪ They lacked confidence in their own values.
▪ But Pataki does not appear to lack confidence that he can create yet another success that other states would wish to emulate.
▪ We all worry about what other people think of us and being shy doesn't automatically mean we lack confidence.
▪ Yet the parents knew their children lacked confidence.
lose
▪ Meanwhile, prison conditions have deteriorated and the public has lost confidence in the criminal justice system.
▪ He was beginning to believe the coaches had lost confidence in him.
▪ I was beginning to lose confidence when suddenly I saw a small lane on the right.
▪ Employees themselves are losing confidence in the company, analysts said.
▪ It only takes a couple of players to have mediocre starts for them and they will be down there and lose confidence.
▪ Even this great cathedral will become a museum and mausoleum the day we lose our confidence in the resurrection.
▪ He couldn't draw properly, he lost confidence and floundered horribly.
▪ It just fell apart once they had lost confidence in him.
regain
▪ Perhaps, if he stays, he will never regain the confidence of the City.
▪ This program enables patients to regain the confidence that they have lost in their ability to sleep.
▪ It will take the dotcoms some time before they regain investor confidence.
▪ When investors looked more calmly during the weekend at what he actually said, they regained some of their confidence.
▪ It was a long time after that before I regained my confidence.
▪ Smith, on the other hand, was isolated in a country just beginning to regain its mathematical confidence.
▪ He took 6 months to regain his confidence that we weren't going to hit him.
▪ The ERCs provide short courses for men and women who need help in regaining their confidence and fitness for work.
restore
▪ The probe was aimed at restoring public confidence in the service, she said.
▪ Clinton offered no new measures to restore confidence in globalization and open trade.
▪ However an attempt was made to restore confidence in it by what is now section 184.
▪ Hearing him in action restores her confidence in his abilities.
▪ The Silver Sabre has restored my confidence and I consider it to be one of the best machines that I have used.
▪ He took over after the disastrous administration of Manoj Vyas and restored confidence in county government and stability to county employment.
▪ The various plans failed to restore the confidence of either foreign banks or foreign investors.
▪ This last item did much to restore the confidence that seemed to have deserted me in the previous few months.
shake
▪ Such an examination could shake some of the confidence that built in 1995.
share
▪ There is nothing magical or mystical about the process, and the results are shared in strictest confidence.
▪ It is a shame that some of the gloom and doom-mongers in this country do not share that confidence.
▪ See our useful links below for confidence-boosting websites and share your confidence tricks online.
▪ I do not share the confidence of the right hon. and learned Member for Monklands, East in investment incentives.
▪ The two men share confidences, for they both have equal vested interests in the sport.
▪ If it is shared then trust and confidence will grow between the manager and his subordinate.
▪ Dougal wished he could share his confidence.
show
▪ Pity he hadn't shown such confidence before.
▪ It was great the coaches showed some confidence in me.
▪ Each demonstration this week has shown an increase in confidence which it will now be very difficult to stop.
▪ Bradstreet survey released today showed business confidence slumped to its lowest level in more than three and a half years.
▪ This is a young team and it is really important for the coaches to show we have confidence in them.
▪ The use of the blackboard showed confidence.
▪ A report showing falling business confidence lifted hopes that slowing economic growth will prompt the Bundesbank to cut rates soon.
speak
▪ If they do suspect some one or know some one fitting the description, speak to us in confidence and we will investigate it.
▪ She speaks with the confidence of a woman who has worked hard to make a new life for herself.
▪ If anyone may speak with confidence, it is Mr Otsason.
▪ Outwardly calm, he masks his feelings behind a demeanor of indifference and spoken confidence.
▪ We speak with relative confidence about our own group.
▪ Morton, he realized, spoke with the confidence of the man who tapped the phones.
undermine
▪ Don't undermine the patient's confidence by accusing him of not trying when he can not fulfil a task.
▪ When we do this, we undermine the confidence and competence of our citizens and communities.
▪ She did not mean to be swayed by Cobalt's defence of Maurin, and yet he had undermined her confidence.
▪ Proof that fake Dalís are circulating and fears of further problems could continue to undermine confidence in this market.
▪ This may need to be supported by actual action likely to undermine public confidence in the exchange.
▪ Some were less overtly overbearing, but no less effective in undermining their colleagues' confidence.
▪ It would also be an offence to cause suspicion or undermine the confidence of the people.
▪ Overinvestigation or repeated testing without substantial indication undermines the patient's confidence in the doctor's conclusions.
win
▪ She was still trying to win the woman's confidence.
▪ No stormy preacher, President Witherspoon quietly won the confidence of his colleagues.
▪ His technique was to win women's confidence with his charm, and to offer them a spiked drink.
▪ Still, associating with our most crooked modern president is not a way to win public confidence, nor an election.
▪ But Annabelle/Steven won the woman's confidence.
▪ Nothing could make clearer the way in which Madame Phan had won his confidence.
▪ Graham knows his defender should be learning his trade by the occasional appearance in a winning team to breed confidence.
▪ He was trusted by Dorman-Smith and increasingly he won the confidence of Aung San.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
breach of confidence/trust
▪ He has insisted that to name them publicly would be a breach of confidence.
▪ No breach of confidence was alleged but there was said to be a contract not to publish before the report.
▪ Opinions were expressed openly and freely without any breach of confidence.
▪ She and the company's chairman, Weng You-ming, were being sued for breach of trust in the sale.
▪ Such a breach of confidence could rebound in all sorts of directions.
▪ There is no liability for breach of confidence if consent is obtained.
▪ They say any breach of trust has been offset by his attempts to set things right.
▪ You may prefer not to do so because of the risk of breach of confidence or discrimination.
crisis of confidence
▪ During the Middle Ages society suffered, as much as anything else, from an acute and prolonged crisis of confidence.
▪ It is a crisis of confidence and purpose.
▪ It was not just the veto which caused a crisis of confidence: every member had the right to blackball an applicant.
▪ Lack of up to date knowledge leading to a potential crisis of confidence.
▪ Ominously, however, this confidence-promoting institution is itself undergoing a crisis of confidence.
▪ Postmodernism's crisis is the crisis of confidence in the function of art and culture at the end of the twentieth century.
▪ The slightest crisis of confidence can threaten the survival of the banking system and the health of the whole economy.
▪ This talk about a crisis of confidence in the City is overdone.
crush sb's hopes/enthusiasm/confidence etc
put your faith/trust/confidence in sb/sth
▪ Can she put her faith in the people who oversaw her career before?
▪ Events that happen previously show us that Atticus is a person that we can put our trust in.
▪ He put his faith in the genius of individuals.
▪ None the less, geophysicists continue to look, continue to put their faith in ghosts of a sort.
▪ Others put their faith in camphor.
▪ She was putting her trust in the wrong people again.
▪ The Profitboss puts his trust in his people.
▪ The unfortunate crew of Tai Ki had put their faith in several coats of tung oil, to no effect.
shake sb's confidence/beliefs etc
worm your way into sb's affections/heart/confidence etc
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "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.
▪ I later learned there were some confidences Richard hadn't shared with me.
▪ I went into the test full of confidence, but it was more difficult than I had imagined.
▪ It's obviously very important to build up the consumer's confidence in our product.
▪ Opinion polls show that the voters have lost confidence in the administration.
▪ The agency works hard to increase public confidence so that people are not afraid to report racist incidents.
▪ The country's highly respected Finance Ministry is facing a crisis of confidence that will be difficult to reverse.
▪ The key thing about being a quarterback is that you have to show confidence and lead the team.
▪ The new president has the confidence and backing of all of the leaders of the surrounding states.
▪ You need patience and confidence to be a good teacher.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A professional golfer tries to pull off a confidence trick against his own body.
▪ An obligation of confidence can arise through contract, either express or implied.
▪ As a result I know I developed much more confidence in my ability and I've pushed my grades up.
▪ At the present uncertain stage in the economic cycle, the commodity most urgently lacking is confidence.
▪ She sensed his waiting for her confidence, but knew he would never pressure her into saying anything she would rather not.
▪ That confidence was echoed by Peter Scudamore when I spoke to him at Towcester yesterday.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Confidence

Confidence \Con"fi*dence\, n. [L. confidentia firm trust in, self-confidence: cf. F. confidence.]

  1. The act of confiding, trusting, or putting faith in; trust; reliance; belief; -- formerly followed by of, now commonly by in.

    Society is built upon trust, and trust upon confidence of one another's integrity.
    --South.

    A cheerful confidence in the mercy of God.
    --Macaulay.

  2. That in which faith is put or reliance had.

    The Lord shall be thy confidence.
    --Prov. iii. 26.

  3. The state of mind characterized by one's reliance on himself, or his circumstances; a feeling of self-sufficiency; such assurance as leads to a feeling of security; self-reliance; -- often with self prefixed.

    Your wisdom is consumed in confidence; Do not go forth to-day.
    --Shak.

    But confidence then bore thee on secure Either to meet no danger, or to find Matter of glorious trial.
    --Milton.

  4. Private conversation; (pl.) secrets shared; as, there were confidences between them.

    Sir, I desire some confidence with you.
    --Shak.

    Confidence game, any swindling operation in which advantage is taken of the confidence reposed by the victim in the swindler; several swindlers often work together to create the illusion of truth; -- also called con game.

    Confidence man, a swindler.

    To take into one's confidence, to admit to a knowledge of one's feelings, purposes, or affairs.

    Syn: Trust; assurance; expectation; hope.

    I am confident that very much be done.
    --Boyle.

    2. Trustful; without fear or suspicion; frank; unreserved.

    Be confident to speak, Northumberland; We three are but thyself.
    --Shak.

    3. Having self-reliance; bold; undaunted.

    As confident as is the falcon's flight Against a bird, do I with Mowbray fight.
    --Shak.

    4. Having an excess of assurance; bold to a fault; dogmatical; impudent; presumptuous.

    The fool rageth and is confident.
    --Prov. xiv. 16.

  5. Giving occasion for confidence. [R.]

    The cause was more confident than the event was prosperous.
    --Jer. Taylor.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
confidence

early 15c., from Middle French confidence or directly from Latin confidentia, from confidentem (nominative confidens) "firmly trusting, bold," present participle of confidere "to have full trust or reliance," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + fidere "to trust" (see faith). For sense of "swindle" see con (adj.).

Wiktionary
confidence

n. 1 Passive self-assurance. 2 Expression or feeling of certainty. 3 The quality of trusting. 4 Information held in secret.

WordNet
confidence
  1. n. freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities; "his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular"; "after that failure he lost his confidence"; "she spoke with authority" [syn: assurance, self-assurance, self-confidence, authority, sureness]

  2. a feeling of trust (in someone or something); "I have confidence in our team"; "confidence is always borrowed, never owned" [ant: diffidence]

  3. a state of confident hopefulness that events will be favorable; "public confidence in the economy"

  4. a trustful relationship; "he took me into his confidence"; "he betrayed their trust" [syn: trust]

  5. a secret that is confided or entrusted to another; "everyone trusted him with their confidences"; "the priest could not reveal her confidences"

Wikipedia
Confidence

Confidence is generally described as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Self confidence is having confidence in one's self. Arrogance or hubris in this comparison is having unmerited confidence—believing something or someone is capable or correct when they are not. Overconfidence or presumptuousness is excessive belief in someone (or something) succeeding, without any regard for failure. Confidence can be a self-fulfilling prophecy as those without it may fail or not try because they lack it and those with it may succeed because they have it rather than because of an innate ability. Taken to an extreme, over-confidence can cause problems as evidenced by the famous author Matthew Syed and mentioned here in this reference in regard to sport.

Confidence (2003 film)

Confidence is a 2003 crime drama film starring Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia and Rachel Weisz, directed by James Foley, and written by Doug Jung.

Confidence (novel)

Confidence is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in Scribner's Monthly in 1879 and then as a book later the same year. This light and somewhat awkward comedy centers on artist Bernard Longueville, scientist Gordon Wright, and the sometimes inscrutable heroine, Angela Vivian. The plot rambles through various romantic entanglements before reaching an uncomplicated, but still believable happy ending.

Confidence (disambiguation)

Confidence means trust or faith in someone.

Confidence or Confident may also refer to:

Confidence (Gentleman album)

Confidence is the third LP released by the Reggae artist Gentleman.

Confidence (1933 film)

Confidence is a 1933 Pre-Code animated short subject, produced by Walter Lantz, directed by Bill Nolan, and featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. In the film, Oswald is a farmer whose farm falls prey to the ominous influence of the Great Depression (personified as a dark, shadowy figure). Determined to find a solution, Oswald flies to Washington, D.C. where he meets President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was released by Universal Pictures on July 31, 1933 and is available on The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection DVD box set.

Confidence (Narada Michael Walden album)

Confidence is the sixth full-length studio recording from singer/songwriter/drummer/producer Narada Michael Walden. It was his first album wherein he co-wrote every single song with other people.

Usage examples of "confidence".

One of the last letters he received before departure was from his admiring friend Benjamin Rush, who in his usual flowing, assured hand wrote that though he hated to see Adams go, he had every confidence in him: I am aware that your abilities and firmness are much wanted at the Court of France, and after all that has been said of the advantages of dressing, powdering, and bowing well as necessary accomplishments for an ambassador, I maintain that knowledge and integrity with a common share of prudence will outweigh them all.

But Adams was soon writing in his diary that Lee had confidence in no one.

But if Adams was disillusioned by the Franklin he came to know at Passy, he also recognized that Franklin had the confidence of Vergennes and the French Court as did no other American, and it was therefore the duty of all to treat him with respect.

Adams already knew of his friendship, Madison advised, and were Adams to prove a failure as President, such compliments and confidence in him as Jefferson had put in writing could prove politically embarrassing.

In two sweltering weeks, their popularity and confidence never higher, the Federalist majority in Congress passed into law extreme measures that Adams had not asked for or encouraged.

As dark as prospects had appeared during the war at home, Adams never lost confidence, even as the British advanced on Washington.

Hand on hip, Adams looked stout but erect, the expression on his face, one of bold confidence and determination.

The affrighted countenances of some betrayed their inward remorse, while others advanced with confidence and alacrity to the altars of the gods.

I felt such confidence in the substantial justice of the charges which I advanced against her, that I considered them to be a safeguard and an assurance that no harm could ever arise from the freest exposition of what I used to call Anglican principles.

Then, in tones that did her best to make her appear free from anxiety, she told him that it was the barkeeper, as he had surmised, with whom she had been talking and that she had been obliged to take him into her confidence.

Great Rumble Hunt will destroy that confidence, and we, the Borribles of Battersea, will start that Rumble Hunt.

He gave a glance at Wrot, but obviously decided that the old bauta was in their full confidence.

Gerhardt seemed almost offensively bubbling with confidence, gloating as he informed Harker that it was only a matter of days before the court tossed Raymond and Harker out of control of Beller Labs and reinstated Klaus and Mitchison.

At the masked ball, he speaks in confidence to the disguised Claudio as though addressing Benedick, warning him that Don Pedro seems romantically interested in the young lady for himself.

I have the confidence to solicit them to speak in the behalf of a man condemned for the blackest crime in human nature?