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unsure

adjectiveB22 meaningsCommon in everyday speech and writing · #8,283 of 15,258neutral

Unsure means not certain. You do not know, and you would rather not commit yet.

It takes about or of, or a whole clause: unsure about the date, unsure of himself, unsure whether to go. That middle pattern is worth holding on to, because unsure of yourself means short of confidence rather than short of information, and it describes a person rather than a fact. It is gentler than uncertain, which sounds formal, and much gentler than doubtful, which suggests you suspect something is actually wrong.

Definitions of unsure

  1. 1adjectiveunsureNot certain about something.B2

    “I am unsure whether he was ever told.”

  2. 2adjectivelackingLacking confidence.B2

    “He seemed unsure of himself in the interview.”

Where it comes from

  1. Middle English

    unsure

  2. English, today

    unsure

From Middle English unsure, equivalent to un- + sure. insecure.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Word Building

First appears in chapter 7 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

Related words

  • sure
  • surely