confidence

confidence 主要表示“信心、把握”，也可表示对某事的信任，以及私下托付的秘密信息。

💡 记忆钩子

把 confidence 想成心里有一份“信得过”的力量：信自己，就有“信心”；相信事情会成功，就有“把握”；别人把秘密交给你，就是把信息“托付给你”。较旧的用法还可指过分自信、冒失的胆量。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“信心、把握”这两个核心意思，再学习“秘密信息”和较旧的“冒失胆量”。
不要把 confidence 只理解成“自信”；在表示对结果或某人的信任时，它也常译为“信心、把握”或“信任”。

📖 中文释义

noun

core 自信；信心

📖 指相信自己的能力，因此敢于行动或面对挑战；也可泛指做某事时心里有底、有信心。

💡 常用“have confidence in someone/something”表示“对某人或某事有信心”，也常用“with confidence”表示“自信地”。它既可指一时的信心，也可指较稳定的自信。不要机械地把所有情况都译成“自信”，有时“信心”更自然。

countable uncountable

He entered the ring with confidence.

他满怀信心地走进了拳击场。

She has confidence in her ability to solve the problem.

她相信自己有能力解决这个问题。
core 把握；信任

📖 指对某件事会发生、某个判断正确，或某人值得信赖的坚定相信；重点不一定是相信自己，而是相信对象或结果。

💡 常用“confidence that + 从句”表示“相信……会……”，也常用“confidence in + 名词”表示“对……有把握或信任”。这个意思比 s1 更关注结果、判断或对象，不能一律翻译成“自信”。

countable uncountable

She had confidence that the problem would soon end.

她相信这个问题很快就会结束。

The team has confidence in its new leader.

团队信任它的新领导。
common 秘密；私下托付的信息

📖 指别人私下告诉你的、应当保守秘密的信息；这里的核心不是“信心”，而是“信任带来的秘密托付”。

💡 常见于“take someone into your confidence”和“in confidence”等结构，分别表示“把某人当作知情的可信对象”和“私下地、保密地”。这个意思较正式，日常对话中通常直接说“秘密”或“私下告诉的信息”。

countable uncountable

She told me the news in confidence.

她私下把这个消息告诉了我，要我保密。
rare 冒失的胆量；自以为是

📖 较旧的用法，指因过度自信而表现出的大胆甚至冒犯，像是把“信心”推得过了头。

💡 多见于较旧或正式的文字，现代日常英语中不常用。使用时通常带有批评意味，不能把它当作普通的“自信”。

countable dated uncountable

confidences plural

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 5 组

freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities; ;

同义词集: assurance self-assurance confidence self-confidence authority sureness

his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular

after that failure he lost his confidence

she spoke with authority

上位: certainty

a secret that is confided or entrusted to another;

同义词集: confidence

everyone trusted him with their confidences

the priest could not reveal her confidences

上位: secret

a feeling of trust (in someone or something);

同义词集: confidence

I have confidence in our team

confidence is always borrowed, never owned

反义: diffidence, self-distrust, self-doubt 上位: security

a trustful relationship;

同义词集: confidence trust

he took me into his confidence

he betrayed their trust

上位: friendly relationship, friendship

a state of confident hopefulness that events will be favorable

同义词集: confidence

public confidence in the economy

🌳 词源

源自拉丁语，和表示“相信、信任”的词根有关；核心概念一直是“信得过”。

From Middle English confidence, from Latin cōnfīdentia (possibly via Old French confidence), from cōnfīdō (“believe, confide in”) from con- (“with”) + fīdō (“trust”). By surface analysis, confide + ence.

🔄 变式

confidences plural

🏷 单词标签 & 词根