insecure

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪnsəˈkjʊɹ/ UK /ɪnsəˈkjʊə(ɹ)/ See IPA manual

Freq #9720

Meanings

1

adj
Lacking confidence in yourself; uncertain and anxious.

She felt insecure about speaking in front of the whole class.
2

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

Many workers feel that their jobs are increasingly insecure.
3

adj
Not firmly fixed in place; likely to give way.

The shelf was insecure and wobbled when he touched it.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · not safe or stable; at risk... unsafe

Opposites

confident self-confident

Word family

Derived forms food-insecureinsecurelyinsecurenessinsecurity

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

insecure future
A coming period in which continued safety, stability, or success is not assured.

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Insecure dates from the mid-17th century and ultimately rests on Latin securus, “free from care,” with a negative prefix. It originally expressed the condition of being “not free from care.”

Etymology

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

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# insecure

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ɪnsəˈkjʊɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪnsəˈkjʊə(ɹ)/
**Frequency rank:** 9720

## Meanings
1. Lacking confidence in yourself; uncertain and anxious.
2. Not safe or stable; at risk of being lost or harmed.
3. Not firmly fixed in place; likely to give way.

## Examples
- She felt insecure about speaking in front of the whole class.
- Many workers feel that their jobs are increasingly insecure.
- The shelf was insecure and wobbled when he touched it.

## Antonyms
- confident
- self-confident

## Derived Forms
- food-insecure
- insecurely
- insecureness
- insecurity

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

## AI Etymology
Insecure is from in- + secure, or from Medieval Latin insēcūrus, itself from in- (“in-, un-, non-”) + sēcūrus (“safe, certain”). Piecewise doublet of unsecure and unsure. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean lacking confidence in yourself; uncertain and anxious, or not safe or stable; at risk of being lost or harmed. Derived formations include food-insecure, insecurely, insecureness, insecurity.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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