overconfidence

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A feeling of being more capable or more likely to succeed than you really are.

   Grammar: Uncountable: no plural and no 'a/an' before it. Use 'a lot of' or 'too much' to talk about amounts.

   Patterns

   • overconfidence in someone/something
   • a lack of overconfidence
   • too much overconfidence

   His overconfidence made him skip the practice sessions.

   The team's overconfidence cost them the game.

   She warned that overconfidence in the new system could lead to mistakes.

2. 2noununcountabletechnical

   In statistics, a tendency for a model or a person to give answers that seem more certain than the evidence supports.

   Grammar: Technical use, usually with words like 'model', 'prediction' or 'estimate'.

   Patterns

   • overconfidence in predictions
   • overconfidence of a model

   The paper studies overconfidence in weather forecasts.

   Overconfidence in the model led researchers to ignore unusual data.

Common combinations

breed overconfidence

A few early wins can breed overconfidence.

a sense of overconfidence

There was a clear sense of overconfidence in the room.

overconfidence about something

His overconfidence about the exam surprised his teacher.

overconfidence in someone/something

Overconfidence in the team's ability led to poor planning.

suffer from overconfidence

Many young drivers suffer from overconfidence.

Synonyms and how they differ

arrogance

Arrogance is a stronger, more negative judgment about someone's attitude toward others; overconfidence is more neutral and often about a task.

complacency

Complacency means being too satisfied with your situation to try harder; overconfidence is about believing you are more able than you are.

self-assurance

Self-assurance is usually positive and means healthy belief in yourself; overconfidence suggests that belief has gone too far.

Opposites

Word family

overconfident adjective

Feeling too sure of your own ability or success.

overconfidently adverb

In a way that shows too much belief in your own ability.

confidence noun

A normal, healthy belief in yourself or in something.

confident adjective

Sure of yourself or of a result, without the negative 'too much' idea.

Commonly confused: overconfidence or overconfident?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “overconfidence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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