Confident and Confidant

Key Points

• Confident: (Adjective) Feeling or showing confidence in oneself or one's abilities; certain; sure of oneself.
  • Example: She felt confident about passing her exam.
• Confidant: (Noun) A person with whom one shares a secret or private matter, trusting them not to repeat it to others; a close friend or trusted advisor. (The feminine form is 'confidante').
  • Example: He confided his fears to his closest confidant.

Let's analyze the given options:

• 1) Confident means certain and confidant means close friend - This option accurately defines both words.
• 2) Confidant means certain and confident means close friend - This option swaps the meanings, making it incorrect.
• 3) Confident means belief and confidant means an emissary - "Confident" is an adjective meaning feeling certain, not the noun "belief." A "confidant" is a trusted friend, not necessarily an "emissary" (a person sent on a special mission). This option is incorrect.
• 4) Confidant means assurance and confidant means intimate person - This option attempts to define "confidant" twice. While "intimate person" is close, "assurance" is a noun related to confidence, not the noun "confidant" (the person). This option is incorrect.