confident, a. and n.
(ˈkɒnfɪdənt)
[In senses 1–4 app. ad. L. confīdent-em ‘firmly trusting, reliant; self-confident; bold, daring; audacious, impudent’; pr. pple. of confīdĕre to confide. (These senses are not found in Fr. which for them uses confiant.) In senses 6–8 and B. 1–2 answering to F. confident, -ente, app. 16th c. ad. It. confidente ‘confident, trusty’, ‘a trusty friend’.
This sense prob. originated in the application of the word to two friends who mutually confide in or trust each other, and hence are trusted by each other; the latter or inferred part of the notion becoming at length the only one thought of, as in Littré's explanation ‘he or she to whom one confides one's secrets, one's intimate thoughts.’ The historical instances given by Littré show that the F. word had in 16–17th c. the wider sense of ‘trusty adherent, partisan,’ like our sense B. 1.]
A. adj. I. Trusting; assured.
† 1. Trustful, confiding. Obs.
| 1588 Shakes. Tit. A. i. i. 61 Rome, be as iust and gracious vnto me, As I am confident and kinde to thee. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, ii. i. 146. 1651 Ld. Digby, etc. Lett. conc. Relig. ii. 19 You see, my Lord, how confident I am with you, to tell you what..occurreth to me upon this subject. 1666 Pepys Diary (1879) IV. 195 As great an act of confident friendship as this latter age..can show. |
2. Having strong belief, firm trust, or sure expectation; feeling certain, fully assured, sure.
| 1601 Shakes. All's Well ii. i. 162 Art thou so confident? Within what space Hop'st thou my cure? 1653 Walton Angler 49 I'l sit down and hope well, because you seem to be so confident [of catching the fish]. 1810 Scott Lady of L. i. xxxiii, Again returned the scenes of youth, Of confident undoubting truth. 1884 Gladstone Sp. in Parl. 28 Feb., Confident and sanguine..as our opponents were before we introduced the Redistribution Bill. |
b. Const. that and clause.
| 1611 Shakes. Cymb. ii. iii. 150, I do think I saw't this morning: Confident I am Last night 'twas on mine Arme. 1611 Bible Rom. ii. 19. 1848 Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 125 He was confident that in Scotland his dispensing power would not be questioned. 1872 E. Peacock Mabel Heron I. ii. 29 Thoroughly confident that she would consent. |
c. Const. of (formerly with inf.).
| 1611 Bible Phil. i. 6 Being confident of this very thing. 1632 Lithgow Trav. x. 458, I was confident to dye a fearefull and vnacquainted death. 1654 Hammond Fundamentals (J.), He is so sure and confident of his particular election. 1802 Paley Nat. Theol. xxvi. (1819) 458 Were death never sudden, they who are in health would be too confident of life. 1839 Thirlwall Greece VI. 179 Reasons they had to be confident of victory. |
d. Const. in. (This has affinities with 3.)
| 1609 Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. (1614) 628 Mixt wine..to bereave him both of reason and paine; I durst be confident in this latter. 1611 Bible Ps. xxvii. 3 Though warre should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 1738 Wesley Psalms iii. ii, Now I glory in thine Aid, Confident in thy Defence. 1827 Southey Hist. Penins. War II. 779 But the French commander was not now so confident in his own troops. 1871 Ainsworth Tower Hill i. i, Confident in the security of his position, he derided their threats and machinations. |
3. Full of assurance, self-reliant, bold; sure of oneself, one's cause, etc.; having no fear of failure.
| 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. ¶iij b, Whereuppon I waxed venturous, and like a confident fellowe amended my pase. 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. Ded. (J.), Confident and bold-spirited men. 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 61 His forces strong, his Souldiers confident. 1611 Bible Phil. i. 14 Many of the brethren..waxing confident, by my bonds, are much more bold to speake the word without feare. 1752 Johnson Rambler No. 190 ¶3 His accusers were confident and loud. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Cockayne Wks. (Bohn) II. 66 The prestige of the English name warrants a certain confident bearing, which a Frenchman..could not carry. |
4. In bad sense: Over-bold, unduly self-reliant; forward, presumptuous, impudent. Obsolescent.
| 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, ii. i. 121 It is not a confident brow, nor the throng of wordes, that come with such more then impudent sawcines from you, can thrust me from a leuell consideration. 1664 Pepys Diary (1879) III. 4 Mrs. Clerke's kinswoman sings very prettily, but is very confident in it. 1688 Shadwell Sqr. of Alsatia iii. 65 Oh, she's a confident Thing. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones iv. xii, A confident slut. 1754 Richardson Grandison I. xxxvii. 267 If he should take so confident a liberty. |
5. ‘Positive; affirmative; dogmatical: as, a confident talker’ (J.).
| 1611 Bible 2 Cor. ix. 4 Lest..wee..should bee ashamed in this same confident boasting. 1648 Bp. Hall Breathings Devout Soul Medit. (1851) 171 How many have..given very confident directions for the finding out of that precious stone of the philosophers. 1735 Berkeley Free-think. in Math. §48 Your confident and positive way of talking. 1878 Jevons Primer Pol. Econ. 9 They who have never studied political economy at all, are usually the most confident. |
II. Trusty, trusted.
† 6. Trustworthy, trusty, to be depended on. Obs.
| 1605 Gunp. Plot in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) III. 24 Bring over some confident gentleman, such as you shall understand best able for this business. 1619 Eng. & Germ. (Camd.) 206 The next day we had confident newes that they of the religion..had..seased themselves on the citty. a 1714 Burnet Own Time (1823) I. 290 Putting the fleet into more confident hands. |
7. Confidential, to whom one confides secrets.
| 1608 W. Becher in Camdeni Epist. (1691) 101 He was..much favoured by the Queen, having married her most confident servant. 1623 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 178 A companion of mine, a confident servant of my masters. 1651 Reliq. Wotton., The Duke had a care to introduce into neer place at the court divers of his confident servants. 1655 Theophania 154 Her confident nurse. |
b. confident person, in Scots law: a confidential person, e.g. an intimate friend, a partner in trade, a confidential man of business; one who acts in collusion with a debtor, for the purpose of depriving the creditors of estate which they are legally entitled to.
| 1621 Sc. Acts Jas. VI, c. 18 All alienations, dispositions, assignations, and translations whatsoever..to any coniunct or confident person, without true, just, and necessarie causes..after the contracting of lawfull debts from true creditors [the Court of Session will decreet] to haue beene..null and of none availe, force, nor effect. |
† 8. confident of (= F. confident de): in the private confidence of, privy to. Obs.
| 1659 Rushw. Hist. Coll. I. 77 To the end that his Highness might be confident of their Proceedings, and privy to all their Passages. |
B. n.
1. A trusty friend or adherent; one in whom one confides; a confidential friend.
| 1619 Naunton in Fortesc. Papers 105 From Rome and other partes, where he is yet accepted as a confident. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. i. (1702) I. 41 When by some Confidents..he was inform'd of some bitter expressions fall'n from her Majesty. 1660 Jer. Taylor Duct. Dubit. ii. ii. (R), When..this sect gets firm confidents and zealous defenders. a 1662 Heylin Laud i. 184 Archbishop Abbot, a great Confident of the Popular Party in the House of Commons. a 1714 Burnet Hist. Ref. iii. (1715) 191 Hobby being a Confident of the Protector's, he may be supposed to have written as he was directed by him. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) I. App. 715 Eadric, the confident and foster-brother of Eadmund. |
2. spec. A person entrusted with secrets or private matters; a confidant.
| 1647 W. Browne tr. Polexander i. 159 An old Ethiopian Eunuque..the most favoured of all his Confidents, and the depositary of all his secrets. 1695 Congreve Love for L. iv. xvi, Nay, Mr. Tattle, if you make Love to me, you spoil my Design, for I intend to make you my Confident. 1754 Richardson Grandison (1781) II. xxxv. 237 Make me your confident, Charlotte. 1815 Scott Guy M. ii, As he had neither friend nor confident, hardly even an acquaintance. 1828 Blackw. Mag. XXIII. 365 They have..made the whole world the confident of the darkest secrets of their spirits. |
b. Const. of (a secret, etc.).
| 1663 Cowley Cutter Coleman St. ii. iii. (1710), This Coxcomb has so little Brains too, As to make me the Confident of his Amours. 1668 R. L'Estrange Vis. Quev. (1708) 5, I may speak to you as my Confessor, and the Confident of all the secrets of my Soul. 1715 J. Barker Exilius I. 17 My intimate Friend, and the confident of my Love. 1826 C. Butler Life Grotius App. ii. 235 Father Joseph, a capuchin friar, the Confident of all the cardinal's schemes. |
† 3. A kind of curl (of the hair), worn by women about 1700. Obs. (Perh. rather, according to the rime, confiˈdant.)
| 1690 Evelyn Mundus Muliebris 5 Nor cruches she, nor confidents, Nor passagers, nor bergers wants. |