confidante

noun

con·​fi·​dante ˈkän-fə-ˌdänt How to pronounce confidante (audio)
 also  -ˌdant,
-dənt
: confidant
especially : one who is a woman

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

She was her closest friend and confidante. only her closest confidantes know what she's going through
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The comedy — set to premiere on the streamer on March 6 — also stars Poorna Jagannathan as Lucky Auntie, Baba’s close confidante who’s eager to take the reins at Dar Co., and Brian George as Ahmad, an equally power-hungry member of the Dar company. Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2025 Fluent in English and married to a close friend of Putin’s daughter, Dmitriev, 49, is a longtime confidante of the Russian leader, entrusted with running the country’s sovereign wealth fund and a key player in the recent high-level talks in Saudi Arabia about ending the war in Ukraine. Keir Simmons, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025 No sooner than Baba turns up dead Lucky (Poorna Jagannathan, Never Have I Ever), who is described as Baba's confidante, shows up and teaches them the ways of their family's secret enterprise. Stacy Lambe, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025 Hannigan shared the screen with Trachtenberg for three seasons on the supernatural drama as Willow Rosenberg, a trusted friend and confidante to Trachtenberg's Dawn Summers. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for confidante

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French confidente, feminine of confident confidant

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of confidante was in 1662

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Cite this Entry

“Confidante.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confidante. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

confidante

noun
con·​fi·​dante ˈkän-fə-ˌdant How to pronounce confidante (audio)
-ˌdänt
: confidant
especially : one who is a woman

More from Merriam-Webster on confidante

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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