Meaning & use
insecurity
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A feeling of doubting yourself, being unsure of your worth or abilities and worried about how others see you.
Grammar: Uncountable for the general feeling (deep insecurity); countable for particular worries: her insecurities.
Patterns
- insecurity about something
- feelings of insecurity
- insecurity over something
His insecurity about his accent made him avoid speaking in meetings.
She hid her insecurity behind a confident smile.
Many teenagers feel deep insecurity about their appearance.
noununcountable
A lack of safety or stability, so that someone cannot rely on having a job, home, food or protection.
Grammar: Uncountable and often paired with a noun: job insecurity, food insecurity.
Patterns
- job/food/housing insecurity
- insecurity in somewhere
Job insecurity left many workers afraid to take out loans.
Food insecurity affects families who cannot always afford a meal.
The region has suffered political insecurity for years.
nouncountable or uncountablecomputing
A weakness in a system, network or building that could allow harm or unauthorized access.
Grammar: Used in computing and security: the insecurity of a password system.
Patterns
- the insecurity of something
Experts warned about the insecurity of the old payment system.
The audit exposed several insecurities in the company's network.
Weak passwords add to the insecurity of online accounts.
Word forms
| plural | insecurities |
|---|
Common combinations
- deep insecurity
- Her sharp comments came from deep insecurity.
- job insecurity
- Job insecurity is rising in the industry.
- food insecurity
- Local charities are fighting food insecurity in the city.
- feelings of insecurity
- Moving schools often brings feelings of insecurity.
- overcome insecurity
- Therapy helped him overcome his insecurity.
- insecurity about
- She admitted her insecurity about public speaking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- self-doubt
- Self-doubt focuses on questioning your own abilities, whereas insecurity can also include fears about being accepted or being safe.
- uncertainty
- Uncertainty is about not knowing what will happen and does not have the emotional focus on self-worth that insecurity has.
- anxiety
- Anxiety is general worry or fear, while insecurity ties that worry to personal worth or stability.
- instability
- Instability describes situations or systems that may change suddenly and is less personal than insecurity.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: insecurity or uncertainty?
insecurity vs uncertainty
Uncertainty is not knowing the outcome, while insecurity involves fear of lacking worth or safety.
Practice
Which phrase uses insecurity in its sense of unstable circumstances?
Choose one answer.
Job insecurity means uncertainty about keeping your job, a lack of stability. The other sentences use insecurity for personal self-doubt.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “insecurity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.