insecure
in‧se‧cure AC /ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊə◂ $ -ˈkjʊr◂/
adjective
insecure about
She’s very insecure about her appearance.
She felt lonely and insecure away from her family.
2. a job, investment etc that is insecure does not give you a feeling of safety, because it might be taken away or lost at any time:
Many of them work in low-paid insecure jobs.
3. a building or structure that is insecure is not safe, because it could fall down
—insecurity noun [uncountable and countable]:
Student teachers often suffer from a great sense of insecurity.
her deepest fears and insecurities
—insecurely adverb
■ not confident
▪lack confidence/be lacking in confidence to not be confident about your abilities or appearance: Francine is lacking in confidence and needs a lot of encouragement. | I was fat, had no friends, and lacked confidence. | While girls lack confidence, boys often overestimate their abilities.
▪shy not confident about meeting or speaking to people who you do not know: Jane is a quiet shy person. | He had been painfully shy (=very shy) as a child.
▪insecure not confident about yourself or your relationships, especially because you are worried that you are not good enough: His childhood had left him very insecure. | Ben’s parents’ divorce left him lonely and insecure. | Models can make young women feel insecure about their own bodies.
▪unsure of yourself not confident, especially because you are young or you do not have much experience: At first, Chris seemed nervous and unsure of herself. | He was only 21 and still very unsure of himself with girls.
▪discouraged /dɪsˈkʌrɪdʒd $ -ˈkɜːr-/ not confident that you can succeed, because you have had problems trying to do something: Students can become discouraged very easily if they are not given the help they need. | I was very discouraged at the time, but I still hoped we could find a solution. | discouraged by : Discouraged by her failed marriages, she gradually withdrew from the world. | discouraged about : Hartman was so discouraged about the way his performing career was going, that he gave up acting for writing.
▪demoralized someone who is demoralized has lost all their confidence and wants to give up: The team were completely demoralized after losing a series of games. | a demoralized work force | Many employees became demoralized and cynical when the company announced another round of job cuts. | utterly/thoroughly demoralized
in‧se‧cure AC /ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊə◂ $ -ˈkjʊr◂/
adjective Word Family: verb: secure; noun: security ≠ insecurity; adverb: securely ≠ insecurely; adjective: secure ≠ insecure
1. not feeling at all confident about yourself, your abilities, or your relationships with peopleinsecure about
2. a job, investment etc that is insecure does not give you a feeling of safety, because it might be taken away or lost at any time:
3. a building or structure that is insecure is not safe, because it could fall down
—insecurity noun [uncountable and countable]:
—insecurely adverb
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