Dictionary

insecure en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɪnsəˈkjɝ/ (General-American)
• /ɪnsəˈkjʊə(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɪnsəˈkjʊɹ/ (General-American)
• /ɪnsəˈkjɔː(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɪnsəˈkjɔɹ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From in- + secure, or from Medieval Latin insēcūrus, itself from in- (“in-, un-, non-”) + sēcūrus (“safe, certain”). Piecewise doublet of unsecure and unsure.

Meanings

1. Not secure.
   • It was, as Carrados explained, entirely his own preposterous fault. Nothing but curiosity about the size of the room had impelled him to touch the walls, and the picture, having a weak cord or an insecure nail ... had it not brought something else down in its fall? 1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
   • The Yung-li ruler, finding Chao-ch’ing insecure, fled to Wu-chou (梧州), Kuangsi province, and then to Kuei-lin, vigorously pursued by the Manchu army. 1982, Albert Chan, “After the Fall of Peking”, in The Glory and Fall of the Ming Dynasty, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 371:
2. Not comfortable or confident in oneself or in certain situations.
   • He's a nice guy and all, but seems to be rather insecure around other people.
   • Imagine being so insecure that you make it against the law for folks to dislike you.
   • The half-dozen pieces […] were painted white and carved with festoons of flowers, birds and cupids. […] The bed was the most extravagant piece. Its graceful cane halftester rose high towards the cornice and was so festooned in carved white wood that the effect was positively insecure, as if the great couch were trimmed with icing sugar. 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
   • When you're knee-deep in these insecure feelings, it can be hard to see clearly. 2021, Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan, “What is... jealousy?”, in Let's Talk About It, →ISBN, page 191:

Forms

Antonyms

self-confident (antonym(s) of “not comfortable or confident”) · confident (antonym(s) of “not comfortable or confident”)

Deriveds

food-insecure · insecureness · insecurely · insecurity

Synonyms

lost

Translations (56)

hi असुरक्षित (not secure) · pl niepewny (not comfortable in certain situations) · mi mātangatanga (not secure) · sv otrygg (not comfortable in certain situations) · fr insécurisé (not secure) · sv osäker (not secure) · mi tītengi (not secure) · fi epävarma (not comfortable in certain situations) · cs nejistý (not comfortable in certain situations) · pt inseguro (not secure) · tr tehlikede (not secure) · mi pānekeneke (not secure) · da usikker (not secure) · tr güvensiz (not secure) · id minder (not secure) · bg несигурен (not secure) · ru небезопа́сный (not secure) · bg несигурен (not comfortable in certain situations) · pl niezabezpieczony (not secure) · id rendah diri (not secure) · tr emniyetsiz (not secure) · da utryg (not comfortable in certain situations) · ca insegur (not comfortable in certain situations) · es en globo (not secure) · pl niepewny siebie (not comfortable in certain situations) · fi epäluotettava (not secure) · is óöruggur (not secure) · sh nesiguran (not secure) · fi epävarma (not secure) · ca insegur (not secure) · el ανασφαλής (not comfortable in certain situations) · de nicht sicher (not secure) · fr inquiet (not comfortable in certain situations) · el ανασφαλής (not secure) · hi असुरक्षित (not comfortable in certain situations) · nl onbeveiligd (not secure) · ru ненадёжный (not secure) · cmn 不安全的 (not secure) · mk неси́гурен (not comfortable in certain situations) · de unsicher (not comfortable in certain situations) · it insicuro (not secure) · it malsicuro (not secure) · fi turvaton (not secure) · es inseguro (not secure) · pt inseguro (not comfortable in certain situations) · mk неси́гурен (not secure) · sh nesiguran (not comfortable in certain situations) · ht anksyeu (not comfortable in certain situations) · ru неуве́ренный (not comfortable in certain situations) · es inseguro (not comfortable in certain situations) · bg опасен (not secure) · mk о́пасен (not secure) · fr inconfortable (not comfortable in certain situations) · ru опа́сный (not secure) · da usikker (not comfortable in certain situations) · nl onzeker (not comfortable in certain situations)