Meaning & use
to exude confidence
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Meanings
phraseidiom
to show by your manner, voice, or bearing that you feel sure of yourself and your abilities.
Grammar: Used as a whole phrase after a subject: She exudes confidence. It takes no preposition after it.
Patterns
- someone exudes confidence
- exude confidence in something
- exude quiet confidence
Even before she spoke, the young lawyer seemed to exude confidence.
He walked onto the stage and began to exude confidence as soon as the lights came up.
Her calm answers exuded confidence during the whole interview.
phraseidiomfigurative
to make other people feel that a person, group, or product is reliable and sure to succeed.
Grammar: Often used about teams, brands, or performances rather than individuals.
Patterns
- something exudes confidence
- a team that exudes confidence
- the design exudes confidence
The new ad campaign is meant to exude confidence without sounding arrogant.
After three straight wins, the whole squad was exuding confidence.
The simple, bold logo exudes confidence and stability.
Common combinations
- exude confidence
- Great speakers know how to exude confidence even when they feel nervous.
- exude quiet confidence
- She exuded quiet confidence rather than loud enthusiasm.
- exude confidence in something
- The coach wanted the players to exude confidence in their own skills.
- seem to exude confidence
- He seemed to exude confidence from the moment he entered the room.
- exude confidence and calm
- The nurse managed to exude confidence and calm at the same time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- radiate confidence
- Very close in meaning, but "radiate" often suggests the feeling spreads outward to others more strongly.
- project confidence
- Common in business and public-speaking contexts; it stresses deliberately sending a message to an audience.
- show self-assurance
- Plainer and more neutral; it does not suggest that the feeling pours out of someone naturally.
Opposites
Word family
- exude verb
- to give off or show a quality or feeling strongly
- exudation noun
- a slow flow of liquid out of something, or the liquid itself
- confidence noun
- the feeling that you can do things well or that things will go well
- confident adjective
- feeling sure about yourself or about a result
Commonly confused: to exude confidence or exude confidance? to exude confidence or exult?
to exude confidence vs exude confidance
"Confidance" is a misspelling; the correct noun is "confidence," with "-ence" at the end.
to exude confidence vs exult
"Exult" means to feel or show great joy, not to give off a quality; it sounds similar but has a different meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses "to exude confidence" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Exude" is transitive when it means showing a quality, so it goes straight to its object: exude confidence. "Exude with" and "exude of" are not used in this meaning, and "exuded confidence with" changes the meaning by adding an unrelated phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to exude confidence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.