insecurein‧se‧cure /ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊə◂ $ -ˈkjʊr◂/ ●○○ AWL adjective 
She’s very insecure about her appearance. She felt lonely and insecure away from her family.► see thesaurus at confident2a 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.3a building or structure that is insecure is not safe, because it could fall down—insecurity noun [countable, uncountable]: Student teachers often suffer from a great sense of insecurity. her deepest fears and insecurities—insecurely adverb
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Ben's parents' divorce left him lonely and insecure.
- Even though she's a model, she's very insecure about how she looks.
- Meeting new people always makes me feel insecure.
- The U.S. needs to reduce its dependence on insecure foreign oil supplies.
THESAURUSnot confident
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Longman Language Activatornot confident to not be confident about your abilities or appearance: · Francine lacks confidence and needs a lot of encouragement and support.· I was fat, had no friends, and lacked confidence.· While girls lack confidence, boys often overestimate their abilities.
to stop feeling confident, especially after making a mistake: · "How was your driving test?" "Terrible - I made one small mistake, and then I just lost confidence."· People tend to lose confidence if they've been out of work for a while.
to not be 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.
not confident about making decisions, trying new experiences, or forming new relationships, especially because you are worried that you are not good enough: · Ben's parents' divorce left him lonely and insecure.insecure about: · Even though she's a model, she's very insecure about how she looks.
if a person or a group of people are demoralized , they have lost all their confidence that they can succeed at something and are unwilling to continue with it: · a demoralized work force· Many employees became demoralized and cynical when the company announced another round of job cuts.utterly/thoroughly demoralized: · The team was a wreck - thoroughly demoralized after a humiliating season.
not confident about something you are trying to achieve, because you have had difficulty achieving it: · I was very discouraged at the time, but I still hoped we could find a solution.get/become discouraged: · Students with learning difficulties who do not have a dedicated teacher can become discouraged very easily.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.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY She felt lonely and insecure away from her family.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
She felt lonely and insecure away from her family.· Their role has never been more insecure.
· You shouldn't have doubted the depth of my love for you but I understand why you felt so insecure.· The drop wasn't reflected in the other crimes that have made residents of Tijuana feel so insecure.· The last mine was giving him trouble, partly because his position on the wall was so insecure.· The other kind of buyer is so insecure that he seeks to define himself to the world by the car he purchases.· The Grovel Industry, where you get paid danger money because it's so insecure.· Their technical knowledge had always stood them in good stead: Why abandon it now, when they felt so insecure?
· Rosie was very insecure and a bundle of nerves.· So many of them are very insecure because of the nature of the business of the city.· The whole thing's very insecure.
WORD FAMILYnounsecurity ≠ insecurityadjectivesecure ≠ insecureverbsecureadverbsecurely ≠ insecurely
1not feeling at all confident about yourself, your abilities, or your relationships with peopleinsecure about She’s very insecure about her appearance. She felt lonely and insecure away from her family.► see thesaurus at confident2a 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.3a building or structure that is insecure is not safe, because it could fall down—insecurity noun [countable, uncountable]: Student teachers often suffer from a great sense of insecurity. her deepest fears and insecurities—insecurely adverb