confidante

noun
con·​fi·​dante | \ ˈkän-fə-ˌdänt also -ˌdant How to pronounce confidante (audio) , -dənt\

Definition of confidante

: confidant especially : one who is a woman

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Synonyms & Antonyms for confidante

Synonyms

alter ego, amigo, buddy, chum, compadre, comrade, confidant, crony, familiar, friend, intimate, mate [chiefly British], musketeer, pal

Antonyms

enemy, foe

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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 confidante in a Sentence

She was her closest friend and confidante. only her closest confidantes know what she's going through

Recent Examples on the Web

Ghislaine Maxwell, longtime confidante of the late Jeffrey Epstein, has reportedly been living in Manchester-by-the-Sea amid the controversy over the now-deceased millionaire. Jaclyn Reiss, BostonGlobe.com, "Who is Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell?," 14 Aug. 2019 The unreleased OxyContin data highlights the FDA's precarious role as both a public health agency and close confidante of industry. Matthew Perrone, Fortune, "OxyContin Was Reformulated to Reduce Abuse, but Purdue Pharma Won’t Share Data of the Results," 22 July 2019 An insecure mess, Rick has a saving grace – in more ways than one – in stunt double/confidante/driver/handyman Cliff Booth (Pitt). Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "Review: 'Once Upon A Time in Hollywood' is a fairy tale only Quentin Tarantino could tell," 23 July 2019 Scouting review A week before the draft, Yzerman said there could be more changes to his staff beyond hiring longtime confidante Pat Verbeek, who’d been with Yzerman in Tampa Bay. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "Why the Detroit Red Wings believe 'right turn' on defense in draft will pay off," 22 June 2019 Speaking of which, legendary actress in the making Saoirse Ronan, Chalamet’s costar in that forthcoming film as well as in Gerwig’s Lady Bird, is not only a big T.C. fan and confidante but . . Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, "A List of Every Legendary Actress Who Has Fallen in Love With Timothée Chalamet," 11 Feb. 2019 Her effusive landlady and confidante, Monica, is given a chatty, tension-easing performance by Candy Beck, probably the most relatable member of the cast. Tom Titus, Daily Pilot, "On Theater: ‘Bad Seed’ still a good chiller," 16 July 2019 Giuliani didn’t rule out that confidante Roger Stone looped in Trump ahead of time about WikiLeaks’s dumps of emails given to them by Russian hackers. Aaron Rupar, Vox, "Trump’s lawyer isn’t exactly denying that Trump had foreknowledge of WikiLeaks dumps," 17 Dec. 2018 He was considered a confidante of the late Steve Jobs, and was promoted to the chief design officer position in 2015. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, "Apple’s legendary designer Jony Ive is quitting for own firm with name inspired by Steve Jobs," 27 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confidante.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of confidante

1662, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for confidante

borrowed from French confidente, feminine of confident confidant

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More Definitions for confidante

confidante

noun

English Language Learners Definition of confidante

: a woman who is a trusted friend : a female confidant

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