confidante
noun
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 confidante in a Sentence
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 26 Feb. 2025
His partner Stuart Lane (Josh McDermitt) is his best friend and confidante, though Ted doesn't respect Stuart's criminal-defense specialty.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
Harlem had been Baldwin’s origin place, the display of letters to his confidantes the stuff of homecoming.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 28 Dec. 2024
In between his hosting gigs, Goodman has made nearly as many cameo appearances playing former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Monica Lewinsky confidante Linda Tripp.
—Shannon Carlin, TIME, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confidante
Articles Related to confidante
Cite this Entry
“Confidante.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confidante. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
confidante
noun
Share