insecure
Synonyms:
lax, loose, loosened, precarious, relaxed, risky, slack, slackened, uncertain, unsecured.
Related Words:
afraid, anxious, apprehensive, diffident, frail, hesitant, immature, jumpy, questioning, shaky, touchy, troubled, unreliable, unsafe, unstable, unsure, up in the air, uptight, vulnerable, wobbly.
Antonyms:
taut, tense, tight.
Synonym Study (Dictionary.com):
Uncertain, insecure, and precarious imply a lack of predictability.
That which is uncertain is doubtful or problematical; it often involves danger through an inability to predict or to place confidence in the unknown:
The time of his arrival is uncertain.
That which is insecure is not firm, stable, reliable, or safe, and hence is likely to give way, fail, or be overcome:
an insecure foundation, footing, protection.
Precarious suggests great susceptibility to failure, or exposure to imminent danger:
a precarious means of existence.
Origin:
From the Medieval Latin word insēcūrus, dating back to 1640–50. See in-3, secure. —Dictionary.com. // First Known Use of insecure: 1649. History and Etymology for insecure: Medieval Latin insecurus, from Latin in- + securus secure. —Merriam-Webster.
Sources: 1, 2.
Added: 28 August 2020 {1:03 PM}
lax, loose, loosened, precarious, relaxed, risky, slack, slackened, uncertain, unsecured.
Related Words:
afraid, anxious, apprehensive, diffident, frail, hesitant, immature, jumpy, questioning, shaky, touchy, troubled, unreliable, unsafe, unstable, unsure, up in the air, uptight, vulnerable, wobbly.
Antonyms:
taut, tense, tight.
Synonym Study (Dictionary.com):
Uncertain, insecure, and precarious imply a lack of predictability.
That which is uncertain is doubtful or problematical; it often involves danger through an inability to predict or to place confidence in the unknown:
The time of his arrival is uncertain.
That which is insecure is not firm, stable, reliable, or safe, and hence is likely to give way, fail, or be overcome:
an insecure foundation, footing, protection.
Precarious suggests great susceptibility to failure, or exposure to imminent danger:
a precarious means of existence.
Origin:
From the Medieval Latin word insēcūrus, dating back to 1640–50. See in-3, secure. —Dictionary.com. // First Known Use of insecure: 1649. History and Etymology for insecure: Medieval Latin insecurus, from Latin in- + securus secure. —Merriam-Webster.
Sources: 1, 2.
Added: 28 August 2020 {1:03 PM}