MEANING
A feeling of lacking safety, stability, or confidence in one’s own worth.
Use it for
unstable belonging; precarious livelihood; self-doubtIdentify the vulnerable belief beneath a defensive response.
Words that belong together
- financial insecurity
- deep insecurity
- feelings of insecurity
On the page
Her insecurity about being replaced made every closed-door meeting feel ominous.
Financial insecurity turned a minor repair into a source of fear.
He masked his insecurity with jokes at other people’s expense.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- insecurity
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Usage notes
Primary category: fear. Can concern physical conditions or self-esteem; interpersonal insecurity often involves fear of rejection rather than immediate danger. Usually uncountable in this sense. Count plural: insecurities. Derived family (not additional inflections or records): insecure.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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