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insecure

insecure

131 3.4
Not confident about yourself or your skills
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪn.sɪˈkjʊr/
translation icon : inseguro
  • He often feels insecure about his public speaking skills, which makes him anxious during presentations.
  • feel insecure
  • insecure about one's abilities
  • insecure children

And that may be enough to let the insecure voices back in.

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Examples

  • Victims of bullying are described as more anxious, careful, and insecure compared to other students in general.

    Academic text (2008)
  • I think I became more insecure with age because of the high pressures of my management job.

    Academic text (2004)
  • And I can completely see why he would feel insecure about these things.

  • How does a guy like you not be insecure in this relationship?

  • In fact, the most insecure people I know are models.

  • And for a lot of them, it's their most insecure point of time in their life.

  • Does it make you feel insecure?

  • Are there things that you are insecure about physically?

  • Insecure people are very dangerous, aren't they?

  • Women are exposed to images of the feminine ideal, which causes them to feel insecure and promotes eating disorders.

    Academic text (2013)

Synonyms

shy
vsinsecure
343 1.0

Nervous and likely to avoid people or new situations

is about lacking confidence in oneself rather than social avoidance
uneasy
vsinsecure
98 3.2

You feel worried and not relaxed

specifically names low self confidence about abilities rather than general anxiety
self-conscious
vsinsecure
61 4.6

Feeling nervous because you think others are watching or judging you

is a general lack of self confidence, not just situational awareness
uncertain
vsinsecure
43 3.9

Not feeling sure or confident

focuses on personal lack of confidence rather than doubt about facts
diffident
vsinsecure
4 8.0

Shy and not confident about speaking or acting in front of others

covers low self confidence more broadly, not only shyness
unconfident
vsinsecure
1 4.0

Feeling unsure about yourself or your abilities

is the same meaning but uses a different common word

Antonyms

715 2.5

Feeling sure about yourself or what will happen

117 3.6

Feeling confident and free from worry or doubt

4.1

Confident and steady in voice or movement

How Confident

confident
715 2.5
insecure
131 3.4
timid
60 3.5

Surface Forms

insecure positive
insecureer comparative
insecurest superlative

Morphology

insecure = secure (transparent) = in + secure

This is a standard negative prefixation of 'secure' in its psychological sense 'confident and free from anxiety'.

Etymology

The word insecure comes from in- 'not' and secure 'free from care' or 'safe', so it can mean 'not confident' or 'feeling unsafe inside'. That's why we say someone is insecure when they lack confidence or feel unsure about themselves.