confident

confident, assured, sanguine, sure, presumptuous arecomparable as applied to a person or to his temperament, looks, manner, acts, or utterances with the meaning not inhibited by doubts, fears, or a sense of inferiority.

Confident may imply a strong belief in oneself or one's powers but it nearly always implies freedom from fear of failure, frustration, or attack and, as a corollary, certitude of success, fulfillment, or approval. As a rule, it is not a depreciative term, and often is complimentary

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his voice was manly and confident

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the happy and joyous temper which characterizes a fresh and confident faith— Inge

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do you grapple the task that comes your way with a confident, easy mind?— Guest

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a confident feeling of immense reserves in strength and endurance— T. E. Lawrence

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Assured suggests the absence of question in one's mind as to whether one is right or wrong, secure or insecure in one's position, or likely to fail or to succeed; it may also imply certitude of one's Tightness, security, success, but this is not one of its consistent or emphatic implications

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talking with assured authority about places we have not visited, plays we have not seen— Lucas

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the assured gaze of one who is accustomed to homage— Bennett

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she had the casual, assured way of speaking— Wolfe

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Sanguine implies a greater measure of optimism than confident, sometimes suggesting this as a weakness rather than as a virtue

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Mr. Britling's thoughts were quick and sanguine and his actions even more eager than his thoughts— H. G. Wells

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sanguine and very susceptible to flattery, Haydon was always ready to believe that the smallest stroke of good fortune must be the herald of complete success— Huxley

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a surgeon's commission for the doctor, and a lieutenancy for myself, were certainly counted upon in our sanguine expectations— Melville

}

Sure implies that one's freedom from doubts or fears is rather the consequence of certainty or of complete confidence in one's skill than of temperament or health. The word also often connotes a steady and disciplined mind, mental or emotional stability, or unfailing accuracy

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a sure scholar

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a sure craftsman

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as he is slow he is sure— Steele

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she tempted the young man into kissing her, and later lay in his arms for two hours, entirely sure of herself— Anderson

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Sure is applicable also to any part of the body equipped to do a certain kind of work under the control of the brain, or to the work itself; thus, a sure hand works with unfaltering skill and accuracy; sure feet pick their way fearlessly over slippery rocks; a sure eye is necessary for a sure aim

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the sure rhythm of their tiny moccasined feet— Cather

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Presumptuous implies an excess of confidence that is usually displayed boldly or insolently. The term is distinctly depreciative and suggests that the one so characterized is lacking in courtesy, judgment, and savoir faire

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she enforced the doctor's orders in a way which seemed . . . loud and presumptuous— Wescott

}

Analogous words: courageous, intrepid, *brave, bold, dauntless, undaunted, valiant, fearless, unafraid: positive, certain

Antonyms: apprehensive: diffident

Contrasted words: *fearful, afraid: nervous, uneasy, jittery (see IMPATIENT): *shy, bashful, modest: dubious, *doubtful