confidant

noun

con·​fi·​dant ˈkän-fə-ˌdänt How to pronounce confidant (audio)
 also  -ˌdant,
-dənt
: one to whom secrets are entrusted
especially : intimate
He is a trusted confidant of the president.

Did you know?

If you're confident of the trustworthiness of your confidants, you're tuned into the origins of the word confidant. The word comes, via French, from the Italian confidente, meaning "trusting, having trust in," from Latin confīdere, meaning "to put one’s trust in, have confidence in.” Other descendants of confīdere in English include confide, confidence, confident, and confidential, all of which ultimately have Latin fīdere, meaning "to trust (in), rely (on)," as their root. Confidant (and its variant confidante, used especially of a woman) and confident are often confused, a topic about which we have plenty to say.

Did you know?

Is it confident or confidant? (Or is it confidante?)

If you find yourself unsure whether you should choose confident or confidant don’t feel bad; confidant comes to English from the French word confident, and when the word first entered our language it was often spelled that way, rather than as confidant. The difference is quite simple: confidant is a noun (meaning "a person in whom you confide things"), and confident is an adjective (defined as “having confidence”). You may well be confident in your confidant, but you would not be confidant in your confident. Although this distinction has not always been observed by writers, confidante is generally used for a female confidant. The word confidant is more frequently used to describe a man, but it may be applied to either gender.

Examples of confidant in a Sentence

He is a trusted confidant of the president. she's my confidant; I tell her everything without reservation
Recent Examples on the Web The final twist came 32 years after his death when a longtime confidant, Joanne Carson (played in the drama by Molly Ringwald), decided to auction off the writer’s remains to the highest bidder. Meredith Woerner, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Her children knew her as a loving confidant and counselor, who also was meticulously organized. Patricia Montemurri, Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2024 Papa was a long-time confidant of Davis, who thought highly enough of Papa to consider him for the general manager job after senior executive Bruce Allen left the Raiders in 2003 — and later asked him to write his autobiography. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2024 Neville Garrick, the Tuff Gong art director and Marley confidant who died this past November, was also an adviser. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2024 Produced in association with Condé Nast Entertainment and grounded in probing interviews with Galliano himself—as well as with confidants including Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss and former colleagues such as LVMH executive Sidney Toledano—the film seeks neither to absolve nor to condemn. Maya Singer, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2024 For example, records show that the investigators were told by an informant that one of Mr. López Obrador’s closest confidants met with Ismael Zambada García, a top leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, before his victory in the 2018 presidential election. Natalie Kitroeff, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Many were designed by her close friend and confidant Hubert de Givenchy and remain the stuff of fashion fantasies to this day. Liz McNeil, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2024 The role of confidant and witty bon vivant to New York's most glittering society jewels was a position Capote held dear. Cady Lang, TIME, 2 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confidant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French confident, borrowed from Italian confidente, noun derivative of confidente "trusting, having trust in," borrowed from Latin confīdent-, confīdens, present participle of confīdere "to put one's trust in, have confidence in" — more at confide

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of confidant was in 1646

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Dictionary Entries Near confidant

Cite this Entry

“Confidant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confidant. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

confidant

noun
con·​fi·​dant ˈkän-fə-ˌdant How to pronounce confidant (audio)
-ˌdänt
: a person to whom secrets are entrusted : a close friend

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