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unsure

unsure

89 1.5
Not confident or certain about what to do
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈʃʊr/
translation icon : inseguro
  • She felt unsure about her decision to move to a new city.
  • feel unsure
  • still unsure
  • remain unsure

We think we're unsure, and now we wait.

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Examples

  • However, they were unsure of where their borders were.

  • Allen and I stood in the middle of the suite, unsure what to do next.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Still others are most unsure of themselves.

  • The people are becoming unsure of me.

  • And I was so unsure of myself.

  • I ask, unsure of the answer.

  • So why do I feel so anxious, so unsure, so alone in this connection?

  • Dan has read this thread and is now feeling unsure about their relationship.

  • At first, the studios were unsure of what to do with this new invention.

  • The others watch the two of them, unsure how they're supposed to react.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

shy
vsunsure
343 1.0

Nervous and likely to avoid people or new situations

is broader, covering doubt or uncertainty beyond social avoidance
anxious
vsunsure
201 2.7

Feeling worried or nervous about something that might happen

can be mere lack of certainty without strong worry
uneasy
vsunsure
98 3.2

You feel worried and not relaxed

is broader, covering doubt or lack of confidence without bodily worry
undecided
vsunsure
75 2.9

Not yet sure which option or side to choose

means doubt more generally, not only decision delay
hesitant
vsunsure
73 3.2

Slow to act or speak because you feel unsure

covers general lack of certainty or confidence, not only delay
timid
vsunsure
60 3.5

Shy and afraid to do new or risky things

is more general doubt or lack of certainty, not fear based
uncertain
vsunsure
43 3.9

Not feeling sure or confident

also includes lack of personal confidence as well as doubt
doubtful
vsunsure
25 3.0

Not sure about something and not ready to believe it

can also mean low self confidence, not just disbelief
diffident
vsunsure
4 8.0

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

can be lack of certainty or belief, not only shyness
unassured
vsunsure
6.3

Not confident and acting unsure

includes doubt about facts as well as low confidence

Antonyms

1.0

Feeling no doubt about something

840 1.0

Feeling sure and having no doubt

How Certain

certain
946 1.0
confident
715 2.5
doubtful
25 3.0
unsure
89 1.5
tentative
57 5.1
hesitant
73 3.2

Surface Forms

unsure positive
unsurer comparative
unsurest superlative

Morphology

unsure = sure (transparent) = un + sure

The productive negative prefix 'un-' applied to the adjective 'sure' yields the straightforward meaning 'not confident/certain', which is directly inferable by learners.

Etymology

Unsure is the negative un- meaning 'not' plus sure, a word that means 'certain' or 'confident' and that you can also see in ensure and assure, so unsure means 'not certain' or 'not confident'.