for you grammar nazis out there...

by **mr. incrediball** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:35 pm

is "unconfident" a word?

by **Minister Masket** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:39 pm

Undecided.

by **mr. incrediball** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:45 pm

Minister Masket wrote:Undecided.

indeed.

by **Hatchman** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 3:54 pm

It sounds odd, but it doesn't break any rules. "Un" is the usual prefix for making an adjective negative. Examples: unhappy, unattracive. However, sometimes "in" works, and sometimes "non-" fits with certain words. Examples: inconsiderate, non-communicative.

From a purely stylistic perspective, avoid unconfident. Just go with not confident.

by **Fruitcake** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:05 pm

uncofident is not a word in the true sense. The reason is there are many opposites dependant upon circumstance.

not confident (nod in hatchmans direction)
undecided (nod in Minister Maskets direction)
self concious
insecure
anxious
uncertain
apprehensive
diffident
shy

etc etc

That is the great thing about knowing your language, you can deliver the exact feeling for any given situation.

Hope this helps...

by **mr. incrediball** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:08 pm

well, 2 or 3 out of 3 say no.

diddle? you listening?

by **mr. incrediball** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:12 pm

wait, wait, i've just heard that unconfident is a word from another source... ok, my dad.

which makes 1 english teacher in RL vs. 2 english experts on t'internet.

things aren't looking good for little unconfident...

by **Fruitcake** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:37 pm

There does seem to be some difference of opinion on this.

I went and looked it up as I have never used it myself or heard it in conversation.

It does not exist in my copy of the Greater Oxford English Dictionary.

It does exist on the internet (why am I not surprised) It also exists in 2 online dictionaries.

So, one could say I am doubtful, dubious, uncertain, unconvinced, unsure or even hesitant to confirm or deny its existence.

by **InkL0sed** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:05 pm

Let me sleep on it.

Or AK could just look at this thread.

by **ParadiceCity9** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:06 pm

I don't think unconfident is a word. Just say not confident.

by **Anarkistsdream** on Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:18 pm

Unconfident is not recognized by Merriam-Webster or the Old English Dictionary.

It also shows up as underlined in Firefox, which I am using now.

You will also not find many uses of the word in literature, and NONE in journalism.

Therefore, it is not a word.

by **Hologram** on Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:43 am

Yeah, half of language is figuring out the best way to say something stylistically. The Italians have done a very good job with it. So while unconfident is probably correct (though firefox says it isn't, though it also rejects British spelling so it's probably wrong) it sounds much better to just say not confident.

by **Kid_A** on Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:47 am

mr. incrediball wrote:is "unconfident" a word?

no

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unconfident

by **whitestazn88** on Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:29 am

Anarkistsdream wrote:Unconfident is not recognized by Merriam-Webster or the Old English Dictionary.

It also shows up as underlined in Firefox, which I am using now.

You will also not find many uses of the word in literature, and NONE in journalism.

Therefore, it is not a word.

lol, props to you for using firefox spell check.

but to play devils advocate, there are many words that you can type up that they say are misspelled, for example, leaving firefox without it's capital F at the beginning makes it misspelled.

i'd personally just say i'm not too sure or something of the like

for you grammar nazis out there...

for you grammar nazis out there...

Re: for you grammar nazis out there...

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