Meaning & use
self-doubt
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
A feeling of uncertainty about one's own abilities, worth, or decisions.
Grammar: Uncountable; can be used with 'a sense of' or 'feelings of' to make it more specific.
Patterns
- feel self-doubt
- a moment of self-doubt
- overcome self-doubt
Even the most successful people experience moments of self-doubt.
His self-doubt prevented him from applying for the promotion.
She struggled with self-doubt after failing the exam.
Common combinations
- a moment of self-doubt
- He had a moment of self-doubt before going on stage.
- overcome self-doubt
- With practice, she overcame her self-doubt and spoke confidently.
- feel self-doubt
- Many new parents feel self-doubt about their decisions.
- creeping self-doubt
- Creeping self-doubt made him question every choice.
Synonyms and how they differ
- insecurity
- Stronger and more general; can refer to uncertainty about many things, not just oneself.
- uncertainty
- Broader; can be about external situations, not just personal ability.
- lack of confidence
- More neutral and often used in formal contexts.
Opposites
Word family
- self-doubting adjective
- Describing someone who often doubts themselves.
Commonly confused: self-doubt or self-doubt vs. doubt?
self-doubt vs self-doubt vs. doubt
'Doubt' alone can be about anything (e.g., 'I doubt the story'). 'Self-doubt' is specifically about doubting yourself.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The correct answer is C because 'self-doubt' is uncountable and can be used in the singular with 'their'. An is less common; 'self-doubts' is possible but rare. B is wrong because 'self-doubt' is a noun, not an adjective. D is wrong because the verb should be 'is'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “self-doubt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.