The important difference here is between confident, an adjective meaning “sure of oneself,” and confidant(e), a noun meaning “a person that one confides in.”To confide, means “to tell a person private or secret things”; it implies trust. The word confide breaks down in to con-fide, which means “with trust” or “with faith”; you can see […]

These words can seem confusing because they refer to the same relationship, but from different, complementary, perspectives. To see this clearly, consider the following sentences, which all have the same meaning: An opera is composed of many elements. An opera comprises many elements. Many elements compose an opera. Many elements are comprised by an opera. In other words, […]

Complement is a bit abstract and has several meanings. The main idea is that a complement completes something. To complement means “to go together well” or “to make better” or “to make complete”: Do you think this dress complements my hair color?Yin complements Yang.This wine will complement our meal. As a noun, complement can either […]

Complacent means “un-worried” or “self-satisfied.” It describes a person who is not concerned when maybe they should be concerned. It is unacceptable to be complacent about climate change, because we can all do things to make life better for future generations. Complaisant means “agreeable” or “obliging”—happily going along with others’ wishes or trying to make people […]

Climactic comes from the noun climax, the “peak” of an event or story, while climatic comes from the noun climate which refers to the long-term weather patterns of an area; for instance, there is a Mediterranean climate and a tropical climate, among others.So, climactic means “associated with the climax, peak, or highest point of an […]