- confidence
- noun1 belief in othersADJECTIVE▪ absolute, complete, full, total▪
The company needs the full confidence of its investors.
▪ great, high, real, strong (AmE)▪Confidence is high among the team's supporters.
▪ low (AmE)▪Generally there is low public confidence in government institutions.
▪ reasonable▪ growing, increased, increasing▪ new, renewed▪ misplaced▪The general's confidence in his army proved misplaced.
▪ public▪public confidence in the government
▪ business, consumer, customer, investor, market, voterVERB + 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, retain▪to maintain public confidence in the system of justice
▪ bolster, boost, build, build up, enhance, improve, increase, raise, strengthen▪Higher profits should raise business confidence.
▪ gain▪ breed, create, engender, generate, give (sb), inspire, instil/instill, promote▪The training is designed to give staff confidence in managing problems.
▪The company's record does not really inspire confidence.
▪ rebuild, renew, restore, revive▪an effort to renew investor confidence in corporate America
▪ lose▪This government has lost the confidence of the public.
▪ damage, dent (esp. BrE), erode, sap, shake, undermine, weaken▪Only one bank scandal is needed to shake the confidence in the financial markets.
▪ destroy, shatterCONFIDENCE + VERB▪ decline, decrease, fall, wane▪ grow, increase, rise, soar▪ return▪Confidence has returned to the market.
PREPOSITION▪ confidence about▪The captain was not lacking in confidence about his team's prospects.
▪ confidence among▪a loss of confidence among investors
▪ confidence between▪efforts to build confidence between employers and unions
▪ confidence 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 confidence, have the utmost confidence▪The captain of the football team said he had every confidence in his men.
▪ a lack of confidence, a loss of confidence▪ a confidence motion (also a no-confidence motion) (esp. BrE), a confidence vote (also a no-confidence vote), a vote of confidence, a vote of no confidence▪The government lost a confidence vote.
▪This is a tremendous vote of confidence for the government.
2 belief in yourselfADJECTIVE▪ considerable, enormous, great▪ supreme, tremendous, utter▪ unshakable, unwavering▪ added, extra▪ new-found, renewed▪ growing, increased, increasing▪ calm, cool, quiet▪She gave an outward appearance of quiet confidence.
▪ easy▪She spoke in a tone of easy confidence.
▪ false▪All his false confidence had drained away.
▪ inner, personalVERB + CONFIDENCE▪ have▪She has very little confidence in her own abilities.
▪ demonstrate, display, project (esp. AmE), show▪ feel▪‘I can explain,’ he said, with a confidence he did not feel.
▪ be full of, brim with, exude, 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 recovered his confidence.
▪ bolster, boost, build, build up, develop, encourage, enhance, improve▪Winning the competition really boosted her confidence.
▪ give sb, instil/instill▪They are gradually instilling confidence in their staff.
▪ dent (esp. BrE), sap, shake, undermine, weaken▪Failing his exams really dented his confidence.
▪ destroy, shatterCONFIDENCE + VERB▪ drain, drain away, evaporate (esp. BrE), go▪My confidence went completely after my first major defeat.
▪ grow, increase, rise▪Their confidence grew with each success.
▪ returnCONFIDENCE + NOUN▪ boost, booster, builder (AmE)▪The home team badly need a confidence booster.
▪ building▪Getting the certificate does a lot in terms of confidence building.
PREPOSITION▪ with confidence▪She answered the question with confidence.
▪ confidence about▪I lacked confidence about how I looked.
▪ confidence in▪his confidence in himself
PHRASES▪ a lack of confidence▪ a loss of confidence3 trustADJECTIVE▪ absolute, complete, full, total▪ mutualVERB + CONFIDENCE▪ enjoy, have▪The Cabinet must enjoy the confidence of Parliament.
▪Security institutions have to have the confidence of all communities.
▪ keep, retain▪ earn, gain, get, win▪ build▪an environment which builds mutual confidence
▪ betray, break▪She promised not to break his confidence.
▪I don't think I'm breaking any confidence by telling you that he plans to write another book.
▪ place, put▪Are we to place confidence in a man 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▪ game (AmE), trick (BrE)▪ man (AmE) (usually con man in BrE and AmE), trickster (BrE)PREPOSITION▪ in confidence▪I really can't talk about this—she told me in confidence.
PHRASES▪ a breach of confidence▪Telling other people what I'd said was a total breach of confidence.
▪ in strict confidence▪Questions will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.
4 secretADJECTIVE▪ whisperedVERB + CONFIDENCE▪ exchange, share▪The girls exchanged whispered confidences.
▪ keep▪Can you keep a confidence?
▪ betray▪I could never forgive Mike for betraying a confidence.
▪ encourage, invite▪She didn't encourage confidences.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
