misplaced confidence

[/mɪsˈpleɪst ˈkɒnfɪdəns/]
noun phrase
confiança deslocada
1. confidence or trust that is directed toward an unworthy person or placed in an inappropriate situation; belief in someone or something that does not deserve it
His misplaced confidence in his unreliable friend led to financial loss.
Sua confiança deslocada em seu amigo pouco confiável resultou em perda financeira.
2. excessive assurance about something without sufficient basis or justification
The team's misplaced confidence before the match resulted in a devastating defeat.
A confiança deslocada do time antes do jogo resultou em uma derrota devastadora.
This phrase is commonly used in both American and Brazilian contexts to describe situations where people have been naive or made poor judgment calls about others' reliability. In Brazil, it often relates to social and professional relationships where trust has been broken, while in the USA it's frequently used in business and political discourse to indicate poor decision-making based on flawed assumptions.
NYC Slang
betting on the wrong horse
Synonyms / Sinônimos
unfounded confidencefalse confidenceunwarranted trustunjustified beliefmisguided faith
Antonyms / Antônimos
justified confidencewell-founded trustwarranted beliefearned confidence

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
confiança deslocada
most common formal translation
General Brazilian
confiança mal colocada
alternative colloquial form
São Paulo
confiança em quem não merece
more descriptive regional phrasing
Portugal
confiança desadequada
European Portuguese alternative

Related Words

overconfidencefalse sense of securitynaivetygullibilitycredulitymisplaced trust

Related Idioms & Phrases

put your faith in the wrong person
trust the untrustworthy
confidence in the wrong hands
barking up the wrong tree
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →