a. and sb. [In senses 1–4 app. ad. L. confīdent-em ‘firmly trusting, reliant; self-confident; bold, daring; audacious, impudent’; pr. pple. of confīdĕre to CONFIDE. (These senses are not found in Fr., which for them uses confiant.) In senses 6–8 and B. 1–2 answering to F. confident, -ente, app. 16th c. ad. It. confidente ‘confident, trusty,’ ‘a trusty friend.’
This sense prob. originated in the application of the word to two friends who mutually confide in or trust each other, and hence are trusted by each other; the latter or inferred part of the notion becoming at length the only one thought of, as in Littré’s explanation ‘he or she to whom one confides one’s secrets, one’s intimate thoughts.’ The historical instances given by Littré show that the F. word had in 16–17th c. the wider sense of ‘trusty adherent, partisan,’ like our sense B 1.]
A. adj. I. Trusting; assured.
† 1. Trustful, confiding. Obs.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., I. i. 61. Rome, be as iust and gracious vnto me, As I am confident and kinde vnto thee. Ibid. (1613), Hen. VIII., II. i. 146. I am confident; You shall Sir: Did you not of late dayes heare A buzzing of a Separation Betweene the King and Katherine?
1651. Ld. Digby, etc., Lett. conc. Relig., ii. 19. You see, my Lord, how confident I am with you, to tell you what … occurreth to me upon this subject.
1666. Pepys, Diary (1879), IV. 195. As great an act of confident friendship as this latter age … can show.
2. Having strong belief, firm trust, or sure expectation; feeling certain, fully assured, sure.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, II. i. 162. Art thou so confident? Within what space Hop’st thou my cure?
1653. Walton, Angler, 49. I’l sit down and hope well, because you seem to be so confident [of catching the fish].
1810. Scott, Lady of L., I. xxxiii. Again returned the scenes of youth, Of confident undoubting truth.
1884. Gladstone, Sp. in Parl., 28 Feb. Confident and sanguine … as our opponents were before we introduced the Redistribution Bill.
b. Const. that and clause.
1611. Shaks., Cymb., II. iii. 150. I do think I saw’t this morning: Confident I am Last night ’twas on mine Arme.
1611. Bible, Rom. ii. 19. And art confident that thou thy selfe are a guide of the blinde.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., II. 125. He was confident that in Scotland his dispensing power would not be questioned.
1872. E. Peacock, Mabel Heron, I. ii. 29. Thoroughly confident that she would consent.
c. Const. of (formerly with infin.).
1611. Bible, Phil. i. 6. Being confident of this very thing.
1632. Lithgow, Trav., X. 458. I was confident to dye a fearefull and vnacquainted death.
1654. Hammond, Fundamentals (J.). He is so sure and confident of his particular election.
1802. Paley, Nat. Theol., xxvi. (1819), 458. Were death never sudden, they who are in health would be too confident of life.
1839. Thirlwall, Greece, VI. 179. Reasons they had to be confident of victory.
d. Const. in. (This has affinities with 3.)
1609. Bp. Hall, Recoll. Treat. (1614), 628. Mixt wine … to bereave him both of reason and paine; I durst be confident in this latter.
1611. Bible, Ps. xxvii. 3. Though warre should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
1738. Wesley, Psalms, III. ii. Now I glory in thine Aid, Confident in thy Defence.
1827. Southey, Hist. Penins. War, II. 779. But the French commander was not now so confident in his own troops.
1871. Ainsworth, Tower Hill, I. i. Confident in the security of his position, he derided their threats and machinations.
3. Full of assurance, self-reliant, bold; sure of oneself, one’s cause, etc.; having no fear of failure.
1576. Fleming, Panopl. Epist., ¶ iij b. Whereuppon I waxed venturous, and like a confident fellowe amended my pase.
1594. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., Ded. (J.). Confident and bold-spirited men.
1595. Shaks., John, II. i. 61. His forces strong, his Souldiers confident.
1611. Bible, Phil. i. 14. Many of the brethren … waxing confident, by my bonds, are much more bold to speake the word without feare.
1752. Johnson, Rambler, No. 190, ¶ 3. His accusers were confident and loud.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Cockayne, Wks. (Bohn), II. 66. The prestige of the English name warrants a certain confident bearing, which a Frenchman … could not carry.
4. In bad sense: Over-bold, unduly self-reliant; forward, presumptuous, impudent. Obsolescent.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., II. i. 121. It is not a confident brow, nor the throng of wordes, that come with such more then impudent sawcines from you, can thrust me from a leuell consideration.
1664. Pepys, Diary (1879), III. 4. Mrs. Clerke’s kinswoman sings very prettily, but is very confident in it.
1688. Shadwell, Sqr. of Alsatia, III. 65. Oh, she’s a confident Thing.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, IV. xii. A confident slut.
1754. Richardson, Grandison, I. xxxvii. 267. If he should take so confident a liberty.
5. ‘Positive; affirmative; dogmatical: as, a confident talker’ (J.).
1611. Bible, 2 Cor. ix. 4. Lest … wee … should bee ashamed in this same confident boasting.
1648. Bp. Hall, Breathings Devout Soul, Medit. (1851), 171. How many have … given very confident directions for the finding out of that precious stone of the philosophers.
1735. Berkeley, Free-think. in Math., § 48. Your confident and positive way of talking.
1878. Jevons, Primer Pol. Econ., 9. They who have never studied political economy at all, are usually the most confident.
II. Trusty, trusted.
† 6. Trustworthy, trusty, to be depended on. Obs.
1605. Gunp. Plot, in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), III. 24. Bring over some confident gentleman, such as you shall understand best able for this business.
1619. Eng. & Germ. (Camd.), 206. The next day we had confident newes that they of the religion … had … seased themselves on the citty.
a. 1714. Burnet, Own Time (1823), I. 290. Putting the fleet into more confident hands.
7. Confidential, to whom one confides secrets.
1608. W. Becher, in Camdeni Epist. (1691), 101. He was … much favoured by the Queen, having married her most confident servant.
1622. Mabbe, trans. Aleman’s Guzman d’Alf., I. 178. A companion of mine, a confident servant of my masters.
1651. Reliq. Wotton. The Duke had a care to introduce into neer place at the court divers of his confident servants.
1655. Theophania, 154. Her confident nurse.
b. Confident person, in Scots law: a confidential person, e.g., an intimate friend, a partner in trade, a confidential man of business; one who acts in collusion with a debtor, for the purpose of depriving the creditors of estate which they are legally entitled to.
1621. Sc. Acts Jas. VI., c. 18. All alienations, dispositions, assignations, and translations whatsoever … to any coniunct or confident person, without true, just, and necessarie causes … after the contracting of lawfull debts from true creditors [the Court of Session will decreet] to haue beene … null and of none availe, force, nor effect.
† 8. Confident of (= F. confident de): in the private confidence of, privy to. Obs.
1659. Rushw., Hist. Coll., I. 77. To the end that his Highness might be confident of their Proceedings, and privy to all their Passages.
B. sb.
1. A trusty friend or adherent; one in whom one confides; a confidential friend.
1619. Naunton, in Fortesc. Papers, 105. From Rome and other partes, where he is yet accepted as a confident.
1647. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., I. (1702), I. 41. When by some Confidents … he was inform’d of some bitter expressions fall’n from her Majesty.
1660. Jer. Taylor, Duct. Dubit., II. ii. (R). When … this sect gets firm confidents and zealous defenders.
a. 1662. Heylin, Laud, I. 184. Archbishop Abbot, a great Confident of the Popular Party in the House of Commons.
a. 1714. Burnet, Hist. Ref., III. (1715), 191. Hobby being a Confident of the Protector’s, he may be supposed to have written as he was directed by him.
1867. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), I. App. 715. Eadric, the confident and foster-brother of Eadmund.
2. spec. A person entrusted with secrets or private matters; a CONFIDANT.
1647. W. Browne, trans. Polexander, I. 159. An old Ethiopian Eunuque … the most favoured of all his Confidents, and the depositary of all his secrets.
1695. Congreve, Love for L., IV. xvi. Nay, Mr. Tattle, if you make Love to me, you spoil my Design, for I intend to make you my Confident.
1754. Richardson, Grandison (1781), II. xxxv. 237. Make me your confident, Charlotte.
1815. Scott, Guy M., ii. As he had neither friend nor confident, hardly even an acquaintance.
1828. Blackw. Mag., XXIII. 365. They have … made the whole world the confident of the darkest secrets of their spirits.
b. Const. of (a secret, etc.).
1663. Cowley, Cutler Coleman St., II. iii. (1710). This Coxcomb has so little Brains too, As to make me the Confident of his Amours.
1668. R. L’Estrange, Vis. Quev. (1708), 5. I may speak to you as my Confessor, and the Confident of all the secrets of my Soul.
1715. Mrs. J. Barker, Exilius, I. 17. My intimate Friend, and the confident of my Love.
1826. C. Butler, Life Grotius, App. ii. 235. Father Joseph, a capuchin friar, the Confident of all the cardinal’s schemes.
† 3. A kind of curl (of the hair), worn by women about 1700. Obs. (Perh. rather, according to the rhyme, confida·nt.)
1690. Evelyn, Mundus Muliebris, 5. Nor cruches she, nor confidents, Nor passagers, nor bergers wants.
