insecure

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Lacking confidence in yourself; uncertain and anxious.

   She felt insecure about speaking in front of the whole class.

2. 2
   adj

   Not safe or stable; at risk of being lost or harmed.

   Many workers feel that their jobs are increasingly insecure.

3. 3
   adj

   Not firmly fixed in place; likely to give way.

   The shelf was insecure and wobbled when he touched it.

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

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