Meanings
plural confidants
- A person in whom one can confide or share one's secrets: a friend.
'Of course'—implied the loyal manager, and 'Oh, of course; not a word,' assented his confidant.
1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries3 more examples
Heaven made you love me for no other end, / But to become my confidant and friend: / As such, I keep no secret from your sight, […]
1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe, William Miller, published 1808, page 223One in thought and purpose, linked by the necessity of combating one hostile fate, a power antagonistic ever, — a power we lived to evade, — we had no confidants save ourselves.
1895, Kenneth Graham, The Golden Age, London, page 5Bankman-Fried’s confidants were along for the ride. At his side was Caroline Ellison, Alameda’s CEO and his on-again, off-again lover.
2023 September 30, Victoria Bekiempis, “‘Dark’ donations, free love and the fall: the Sam Bankman-Fried trial is here”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 05 Jan 2024
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Italic*kom
- Proto-Italic*kom-
- Latincon-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰeydʰ-
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰéydʰeti
- Proto-Italic*feiðō
- Latinfīdō
- Latincōnfīdō
- Latincōnfīdentem
- Italianconfidente
- Frenchconfident
- Englishconfidant
Borrowed from French confident.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian довереник, верен приятел
- довереник (doverenik)person in whom one can confide
- верен приятел (veren prijatel)person in whom one can confide
Chinese Mandarin 密友, 知己
- 密友 (mìyǒu)person in whom one can confide
- 知己 (zhījǐ)person in whom one can confide
Czech důvěrník
- důvěrníkperson in whom one can confide
Danish fortrolig
- fortroligperson in whom one can confide
Dutch vertrouweling, vertrouwelinge
- vertrouwelingperson in whom one can confide
- vertrouwelingeperson in whom one can confide
Finnish uskottu
- uskottuperson in whom one can confide
French confidente, confident
- confidenteperson in whom one can confide
- confidentperson in whom one can confide
German Vertrauter
- Vertrauterperson in whom one can confide
Hebrew אִישׁ סוֹד
- אִישׁ סוֹד (ish sod)person in whom one can confide
Hungarian kebelbarát, kebelbarátnő
- kebelbarátperson in whom one can confide
- kebelbarátnőperson in whom one can confide
- bizalmas barátperson in whom one can confide
Icelandic trúnaðarmaður, trúnaðarvinur
- trúnaðarmaðurperson in whom one can confide
- trúnaðarvinurperson in whom one can confide
- rúnperson in whom one can confide
- rúnaperson in whom one can confide
Irish rúnaí, anamchara
- rúnaíperson in whom one can confide
- anamcharaperson in whom one can confide
- cara rúinperson in whom one can confide
- rúncharaperson in whom one can confide
Polish powiernik, powierniczka
- powiernikperson in whom one can confide
- powierniczkaperson in whom one can confide
- zausznikperson in whom one can confide
- zausznicaperson in whom one can confide
Portuguese confidente
- confidenteperson in whom one can confide
Russian дове́ренное лицо́, напе́рсник
- дове́ренное лицо́ (dovérennoje licó)person in whom one can confide
- напе́рсник (napérsnik)person in whom one can confide
Spanish confidente
- confidenteperson in whom one can confide
Tagalog kapalagayang-loob
- kapalagayang-loobperson in whom one can confide
Turkish dert ortağı, sırdaş
- dert ortağıperson in whom one can confide
- sırdaşperson in whom one can confide
Cite this entry
confidant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confidant
“confidant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confidant. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “confidant,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confidant.
Source: confidant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.