Meaning & use
insecure
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Not confident in yourself and often worried about what others think of you.
Grammar: Often followed by about: insecure about her looks.
Patterns
- insecure about something
- feel insecure
He felt insecure about his accent at the new school.
Many teenagers are insecure about how they look.
An insecure manager may hate being questioned.
adjectivecomparable
Not safe or protected from danger, theft, or failure.
Grammar: Describes systems, places or things: an insecure password.
Patterns
- an insecure network
Hackers used an insecure network to reach the data.
The old door lock is insecure.
The building is insecure, so thieves can easily enter.
adjectivecomparable
Not firmly fixed or steady, so likely to fall or give way.
Grammar: Describes physical things: an insecure ladder.
The insecure shelf collapsed under the books.
He stood on an insecure ledge, afraid to move.
The loose bolts left the bridge insecure.
adjectivecomparable
Not stable or certain, especially about money, work, or housing.
Grammar: Used about circumstances: an insecure job.
Patterns
- insecure employment
Many people in the area live in insecure housing.
A temporary contract left her job insecure.
Food supplies were insecure after the drought.
Word forms
| comparative | more insecure |
|---|---|
| superlative | most insecure |
Common combinations
- feel insecure
- New students often feel insecure at first.
- insecure about
- She is insecure about her singing voice.
- deeply insecure
- Beneath his bravado he was deeply insecure.
- insecure job
- An insecure job makes planning difficult.
- insecure connection
- The browser warned that the connection was insecure.
Synonyms and how they differ
- self-conscious
- Self-conscious means awkwardly aware of being watched, which can be brief, while insecure suggests deeper doubt.
- unsure
- Unsure is a mild word for doubt on any topic, whereas insecure usually concerns your worth.
- unsafe
- Unsafe stresses danger to people, but insecure stresses lack of protection or stability.
- unstable
- Unstable describes things likely to change or fall, and fits the physical sense better.
Opposites
Word family
- insecurity noun
- lack of confidence or safety
- insecurely adverb
- in an unsafe or unconfident way
- secure adjective
- safe, confident or firmly fixed
- security noun
- safety, or measures that protect
Commonly confused: insecure or unsure?
insecure vs unsure
Unsure just means not certain about a fact or choice, while insecure describes doubt about yourself or an unsafe situation.
Practice
After being laughed at in class, Tom felt ___ about speaking in public.
Choose one answer.
Insecure about means lacking confidence in a particular area. Secure is the opposite, and indifferent and careful do not fit the feeling after being laughed at.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “insecure”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.