TransWikia.com

Is there a word for irrational doubt or lack of confidence?

English Language & Usage Asked by Shannon T on November 29, 2020

A sample sentence would be:

I have this lingering feeling of [irrational doubt] that’s discouraging me from pursuing my goals.

I’ve used Merriam Webster to search for synonyms for doubt but none appeared to be what I was looking for which are distrust, distrustfulness, dubiety, dubitation [archaic], incertitude, misdoubt, misgiving, mistrust, mistrustfulness, query, reservation, skepticism, suspicion, uncertainty. None of which includes the irrational part to it.

Compound word or phrase can be acceptable.

2 Answers

If the doubt is irrational, then it’s imposter syndrome:

Impostor syndrome is a psychological pattern in which one doubts one's accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".

This phrase can be directly inserted into your example sentence.

If there’s not an element of accomplishment involved I would just say it’s just low self-esteem.

Answered by Laurel on November 29, 2020

The nearest I can get is inadequacy

a lack of confidence that makes someone feel they are not good enough to deal with a particular situation or with life in general

Macmillan dictionary

Being a feeling, it is not rational. Being a lack of confidence, it inhibits the pursuit of goals.

Answered by Anton on November 29, 2020

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP