underconfidence
Lacking faith inward
Underconfidence is insufficient trust in one's own abilities or judgment—the opposite of overconfidence.
Someone with underconfidence may hesitate to speak up, decline opportunities they're qualified for, or second-guess decisions unnecessarily: Her underconfidence kept her from applying for the promotion.
The term appears most often in psychology and behavioral economics, where it describes a systematic bias toward self-doubt.
State of being insufficient
- insecurityUncertainty about oneself
- self-worthInternal sense of value
- comparisonAssessment of similarities
- unworthinessLack of merit
subordination · diffidence · meekness · submissiveness · deference · self-effacement · humility · bashfulness
Judging one's own failings
- second-guessingReconsidering a decision made
- inadequacyState of being insufficient
- overthinkingDwelling excessively on thoughts
- self-deprecationBelittling oneself deliberately
rumination · perfectionism · self-sabotage · self-questioning · self-distrust · underestimation · self-limiting · insecurity
State of being unsure
- tentativenessState of being uncertain
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- indecisionFailure to decide
- reluctanceDisinclination to act
ambivalence · dithering · faltering · timidity · stalling · shilly-shally · equivocation · reticence
Nervous anticipation of trouble
- fearfulnessChronic state of dread
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- self-consciousnessUncomfortable awareness of oneself
- trepidationFearful uncertainty
worry · unease · performance-anxiety · stage-fright · vulnerability · disquietude · dread · jitters
Acceptance of inevitable failure
- hopelessnessState without hope
- catastrophizingImagining worst-case outcomes
- worst-caseMost unfavorable outcome imaginable
- discouragementLoss of confidence
inadequacy
State of being insufficient
- insecurityUncertainty about oneself
- self-worthInternal sense of value
- comparisonAssessment of similarities
unworthiness · subordination · diffidence · meekness · submissiveness · deference · self-effacement · humility · bashfulness
self-criticism
Judging one's own failings
- second-guessingReconsidering a decision made
- inadequacyState of being insufficient
- overthinkingDwelling excessively on thoughts
self-deprecation · rumination · perfectionism · self-sabotage · self-questioning · self-distrust · underestimation · self-limiting · insecurity · downplaying
uncertainty
State of being unsure
- tentativenessState of being uncertain
- waveringShowing unsteady resolve
- indecisionFailure to decide
reluctance · ambivalence · dithering · faltering · timidity · stalling · shilly-shally · equivocation · reticence · hedging
apprehension
Nervous anticipation of trouble
- fearfulnessChronic state of dread
- nervousnessState of anxious unease
- self-consciousnessUncomfortable awareness of oneself
trepidation · worry · unease · performance-anxiety · stage-fright · vulnerability · disquietude · dread · jitters · butterflies
defeatism
Acceptance of inevitable failure
- hopelessnessState without hope
- catastrophizingImagining worst-case outcomes
- worst-caseMost unfavorable outcome imaginable
underconfidenceoverconfidence
Unjustified certainty in oneself
cockiness · arrogance · hubris · overestimation · confidence
underconfidenceassertiveness
Confident self-expression quality
self-assuredness · poise · composure · boldness · fearlessness
underconfidenceconfidence
Self-assurance or trust
self-confidence · self-assurance · assuredness · boldness · self-belief