noun

insecurity

in-sih-KYOOR-uh-tee/ˌɪnsɪˈkjʊrəti/

The absence of dependable safety or stability.

Her sense of insecurity leads her to brace the locked door with a chair.

An older woman feels unsafe at home: she braces a chair beneath the closed entrance door's handle and looks anxiously toward the door despite its engaged lock.

Etymology

inLatinnot

+securLatinsafe; free from fear

+ityLatinstate or quality

The noun ending turns “not safe or assured” into a state. Insecurity has long covered both being unsafe and lacking confidence, linking external danger with the inward feeling of apprehension.

In context

AncestryFoundation36:46

just to sort of bear my insecurity there's a very important question I don't know the answer to

AHS12 Peter Attia, MD — The Straight Dope on Cholesterol

More examples

Rising rents leave more families facing housing insecurity.
The school provides free meals to children experiencing food insecurity.
Fighting along the border deepens insecurity throughout the region.

Forms

insecure adjective — Lacking dependable safety, protection, or stability.

Similar words

instability: Emphasizes unpredictable change rather than a lack of protection.
vulnerability: Emphasizes exposure to harm rather than lack of stability.
precariousness: Emphasizes how easily an existing situation could collapse.