self-belief

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   Trust in your own abilities and worth, especially when things are difficult.

   Grammar: No plural and no 'a'; use it with words like 'strong', 'little' or 'grow'.

   Patterns

   • have self-belief
   • lose your self-belief
   • self-belief in something

   After months of practice, she finally had the self-belief to enter the competition.

   Losing that match shook his self-belief for a while.

   Coaches often say that talent matters less than self-belief.

Common combinations

have self-belief

You need to have self-belief if you want to lead a team.

lose your self-belief

One bad review shouldn't make you lose your self-belief.

strong self-belief

Her strong self-belief carried her through the difficult first year.

a lack of self-belief

His lack of self-belief held him back more than his skills did.

build self-belief

Small daily wins help children build self-belief.

Synonyms and how they differ

confidence

The everyday word for feeling sure of yourself; it can also mean trust in other people or things, which 'self-belief' cannot.

self-assurance

Suggests a calm, outward manner that others can see, while 'self-belief' is more about your inner conviction.

self-esteem

Focuses on how much you value yourself generally, not specifically on believing you can do a task.

Opposites

Word family

self-believing adjective

Rare; describes someone who trusts in their own abilities.

belief noun

The general noun for accepting that something is true or real.

believe verb

To accept something as true, or to have trust in someone or something.

Commonly confused: self-belief or self-confidence?

Practice

Make it your own

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

Explore more words