Meaning & use
crisis of confidence
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
A situation in which people stop trusting a person, group, or system, causing serious doubt and uncertainty.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a crisis of confidence' or 'crises of confidence'. Often followed by 'in': a crisis of confidence in the leadership.
Patterns
- a crisis of confidence in someone/something
- create a crisis of confidence
- suffer a crisis of confidence
The bank's sudden collapse led to a crisis of confidence in the whole financial system.
After the scandal, there was a crisis of confidence in the team's captain.
The company is trying to avoid a crisis of confidence among its investors.
phrasecountable
A period when someone loses belief in their own abilities or judgment.
Grammar: Used about a person: 'She had a crisis of confidence before the exam.'
Patterns
- have a crisis of confidence
- go through a crisis of confidence
He had a crisis of confidence after losing three matches in a row.
Many new teachers experience a crisis of confidence in their first year.
Common combinations
- a crisis of confidence in
- There is a growing crisis of confidence in the police force.
- suffer a crisis of confidence
- The market suffered a crisis of confidence after the announcement.
- cause a crisis of confidence
- The delay caused a crisis of confidence among customers.
- a deep crisis of confidence
- The party is facing a deep crisis of confidence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- loss of confidence
- More neutral and often less severe; 'crisis' suggests a serious, urgent situation.
- mistrust
- Focuses on the feeling of not trusting, not on the dramatic situation.
Opposites
Commonly confused: crisis of confidence or confidence crisis?
crisis of confidence vs confidence crisis
Less common and usually means a personal emotional crisis, not a public loss of trust.
Practice
After the report, there was a serious crisis of confidence ___ the minister's leadership.
Choose one answer.
The fixed pattern is 'crisis of confidence in someone/something'. 'On' and 'for' do not fit this phrase, and 'with' would suggest the minister himself had the crisis.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crisis of confidence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.