surefooted

See also: sure-footed

English

Alternative forms

• sure-footed

Etymology

sure +‎ footed

Adjective

surefooted (comparative more surefooted, superlative most surefooted)

1. Walking steadily, without stumbling; capable of finding good footing.
   • 1766, Tobias Smollett, Travels through France and Italy‎^[1], Letter XX:

     The mules of Piedmont are exceeding strong and hardy. […] They are the only carriage that can be used in crossing the mountains, being very sure-footed: and it is observed that in choosing their steps, they always march upon the brink of the precipice.

   • 1997, Emma Donoghue, “The Tale of the Needle”, in Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, New York: HarperCollins, page 169:

     For many years I didn't learn to walk, because I was carried everywhere—not by my parents, who had grown frail, but by the most sure-footed of the servants.

2. Confident and capable.
   • 2015, Rosemary Sullivan, Stalin's Daughter, →ISBN, page 320:

     Her performance was described as "stunning, surefooted, breathtaking."

Translations

walking steadily

• Dutch: vastvoetig
• Spanish: con paso firme

confident

• Dutch: zelfzeker (nl), zelfverzekerd (nl)
• Spanish: que anda seguro