con-fīdo, fīsus sum, 3,
I v. n., to trust confidently in something, confide in, rely firmly upon, to believe, be assured of (as an enhancing of sperare, Cic. Att. 6, 9, 1; Nep. Milt. 1, 1; freq. and class. in prose and poetry); constr. with abl., acc. and inf., with dat., rarely with de, ut , or absol.
α With abl. (in verb. finit. very rare with personal object): aut corporis firmitate aut fortunae stabilitate, Cic. Tusc. 5, 14, 40: copiā et facultate causae, id. Rosc. Com. 1, 2; id. Tusc. 5, 3, 8: illum, quo antea confidebant, metuunt, id. Att. 8, 13, 2; id. Clu. 1, 1: naturā loci, Caes. B. G. 3, 9; 7, 68; id. B. C. 1, 58: castrorum propinquitate, id. ib. 1, 75 fin. ; 3, 83; Lentul. ap. Cic. Fam. 12, 14, 4: jurejurando, Suet. Caes. 86; cf.: neque milites alio duce plus confidere aut audere, Liv. 21, 4, 4: socio Ulixe, Ov. M. 13, 240 (v. also under γ).—So esp. with part. pass. : confisus, a, um: neque Caesar opus intermittit confisus praesidio legionum trium, Caes. B. C. 1, 42; 1, 75; 3, 106; Auct. B. Alex. 10, 5, Hirt. B. G. 8, 3; 8, 15; Auct. B. Afr. 49: tam potenti duce confisus, Liv. 24, 5, 12; 28, 42, 12: nullā aliā urbe, Cic. Fam. 12, 14, 4; Lentul. ib. 12, 15, 3: patientiā nostrā, Plin. Pan. 68, 2: senatus consulto, Suet. Caes. 86.—
β With acc. and inf. (so most freq. in all per.), Plaut. Stich. 3, 2, 1; Ter. Heaut. 160; id. Ad. 826; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 69, § 177; id. Off. 3, 2, 5; id. Att. 1, 10, 2; 6, 7, 1; 6, 9, 1 al.; Caes. B. G. 1, 23 fin. ; id. B. C. 2, 10; Sall. C. 17, 7; id. J. 26, 1; Nep. Milt. 1, 1; Liv. 4, 32, 6; 36, 40, 2; 44, 13, 7; Quint. 5, 12, 17; 11, 1, 92; Suet. Caes. 29; id. Oth. 10; Ov. M. 9, 256: (venti et sol) siccare prius confidunt omnia posse Quam, etc., Lucr. 5, 391.—
γ With dat. (very freq.; and so almost always of personal objects): me perturbasset ejus sententia, nisi vestrae virtuti constantiaeque confiderem, Cic. Phil. 5, 1, 2; cf. id. Att. 16, 16, A, 5; 1, 9, 2: cui divinationi, id. Fam. 6, 6, 4: his rebus magis quam causae suae, id. Inv. 1, 16, 22; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 28, § 69; id. Sest. 64, 135; id. Mil. 23, 61; id. Fin. 1, 9, 31; Liv. 38, 48, 13: virtuti militum, Caes. B. C. 3, 24: cui (peditum parti) maxime confidebat, id. ib. 2, 40: equitatui, id. ib. 3, 94; Auct. B. Afr. 60: fidei Romanae, Liv. 21, 19, 10; 22, 18, 8; 29, 12, 1; 40, 12, 15 al.: huic legioni Caesar confidebat maxime, Caes. B. G. 1, 40; 1, 42. —Esp. freq. with sibi, to rely on one's self, have confidence in one's self : neque illi sibi confisi ex portā prodire sunt ausi, Caes. B. C. 3, 7: dum sibi uterque confideret, id. ib. 3, 10; Cic. Fl. 1, 5; id. Clu. 23, 63; id. Har. Resp. 16, 35; id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 11, 36; id. Fin. 3, 8, 29; id. Lael. 5, 17; 9, 30; id. Rep. 3, 13, 23; Brut. ap. Cic. Ep. ad Brut. 1, 16, 6; Auct. B. Afr. 19; Sen. Tranq. 14, 2; id. Ep. 72, 2; Liv. 4, 18, 1: fidei legionum, Auct. B. Alex. 6, 2: suae virtuti, Liv. 3, 67, 5; 21, 57, 12: felicitati regis sui, Curt. 3, 14, 4: Graecorum erga se benevolentiae, id. 4, 10, 16; 7, 7, 28; 7, 9, 1; 9, 2, 25; Tac. A. 1, 81; 14, 36; id. H. 1, 14; Sen. Ep. 4, 7.—Dub. whether dat. or abl. (cf. supra α): suis bonis. Cic. Tusc. 5, 13, 40: viribus, Caes. B. G. 1, 53: dis immortalibus, Sall. C. 52, 28: his amicis sociisque, id. ib. 16, 4; id. J. 112, 2: suis militibus, Liv. 2, 45, 4: quibus (rebus), Quint. 3, 6, 8: ostento, Suet. Tib. 19 al.—
δ With de : externis auxiliis de salute urbis confidere, Caes. B. C. 2, 5 fin. : de consuetudine civitatis, Dig. 1, 3, 34; Nep. Milt. 1, 1.—
ε With acc.: confisus avos, Stat. Th. 2, 573; cf. Prisc. 18, p. 1185 P.; cf.: nihil nimis oportet confidere, Cic. Tusc. 1, 32, 78.—
ζ With ut , Plin. Ep. 2, 5, 7 (but in Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 5, § 16, confido is prob. a gloss; v. Orell. N. cr. ).—
η Absol. : non confidit, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 107: ubi legati satis confidunt, die constituto, Senatus utrisque datur, Sall. J. 13, 9.—*
II Poet. with inanim. subjects: remis confisa minutis parvula cymba, Prop. 1, 11, 9.
X —Hence, confīdens , entis, P. a. (lit. confident, trusting to something; hence with exclusive ref. to one's self), selfconfident; in a good and (more freq.) in a bad sense (class.).
A In a good sense (perh. only ante-class.), bold, daring, undaunted : decet innocentem servum atque innoxium Confidentem esse, Plaut. Capt. 3, 5, 8: qui me alter est audacior homo? aut qui me confidentior? id. Am. 1, 1, 1: senex, ellum, confidens, catus, Ter. And. 855.— Comp. : quod est nimio confidentius, Gell. 10, 26, 9.—
B In a bad sense, shameless, audacious, impudent : qui fortis est, idem est fidens, quoniam confidens malā consuetudine loquendi in vitio ponitur, ductum verbum a confidendo, quod laudis est, etc., Cic. Tusc. 3, 7, 14: improbus, confidens, nequam, malus videatur, Lucil. ap. Non. p. 262, 11; Turp. ib. p. 262, 13: homo, Ter. Phorm. 123 (cf. Cic. Caecin. 10, 27); Cic. Phil. 7, 1, 3; * Hor. S. 1, 7, 7; Quint. 9, 3, 65; Suet. Dom. 12.— Sup. : juvenum confidentissime, Verg. G. 4, 445: mendacium, Ap. Mag. p. 318, 27.—Hence, adv.: confīdenter .
1 In a good sense, boldly, daringly : confidenter hominem contra colloqui, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 183; 2, 2, 207; id. Capt. 3, 5, 6.— Comp. : dicere, Cic. Cael. 19, 44: loqui, id. de Or. 2, 7, 28.—
2 In a bad sense, audaciously, impudently , Afran. ap. Non. p. 262, 17; Ter. Heaut. 1009.— Sup. : confidentissime resistens, Auct. Her. 2, 5, 8 fin.