Skip to content

confidence

confidence, secret

noun kohn-fee-DAHNS Rare

Origin: Latin confidentia, from confidere (to trust fully)

Usage Note

Confidence is a 'false friend': it does NOT mean self-confidence (which is la confiance en soi); it means a private disclosure or secret shared between people. Faire une confidence means 'to confide something'. The related verb is se confier à quelqu'un (to confide in someone).

Examples

"Elle lui a fait une confidence importante."

Natural Translation

She confided something important to him.

Literal Translation

She made him an important confidence.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic