certain

1 of 2

adjective

cer·tain ˈsər-tᵊn How to pronounce certain (audio)

: fixed, settled

a certain percentage of the profit

: of a specific but unspecified character, quantity, or degree

the house has a certain charm

: dependable, reliable

a certain remedy for the disease

: known or proved to be true : indisputable

it is certain that we exist

: inevitable

the certain advance of age

: incapable of failing : destined

—used with a following infinitive

she is certain to do well

: assured in mind or action

I am certain they are right

certain

2 of 2

pronoun

plural in construction

: certain ones

certain of my generation

W. B. Yeats

Example Sentences

Adjective I'm fairly certain that I'll be on time. a certain person told me that today is your birthday

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The law passed that year provided triggers that forced the legislature to place money into the rainy day fund — rather than spending it — if personal income taxes from Wall Street stock and bond gains exceeded certain levels.

Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2022 The measures aim to protect the E.U. budget by making funding conditional on certain standards.

Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2022 And the court's docket for the term that begins in October is all but certain to have major repercussions for the 2024 presidential election.

Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 18 Sep. 2022 Of course, this country offered a refuge for many Jewish families, and American Jews like me tend to grow up with a certain optimistic image of our country.

James Mcauley, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2022 That unit of cloth was equal to a certain weight of silver.

Francine Russo, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2022 For a certain strain of the British population, the loss of the Commonwealth sounds like good news.

Kojo Koram, The New Republic, 18 Sep. 2022 The new annual stocking level of 1 million fish will allow the Michigan DNR to increase numbers at certain sites and reinstate stocking at some sites that were discontinued, Wesley said.

Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2022 But while most of us enjoy music, there are certain people who don't just like music...

Ni'kesia Pannell, Woman's Day, 17 Sep. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English certeyn, certayne, borrowed from Anglo-French certein, certain, going back to Vulgar Latin *certānus, from Latin certus "fixed, settled, indisputable," originally past participle of cernere "to sift, discern, decide, determine" (going back to an Indo-European present stem *kri-n-, verbal adjective *kri-to-, from a verbal base *krei̯̯̯(h₁)- "sift, separate," whence Greek krī́nein "to separate, choose, decide," verbal adjective kritós, Welsh gogrynu "to sift") + -ānus + -an entry 2

Pronoun

Middle English certyn, derivative of certeyn certain entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Pronoun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

certain 1 of 2

adjective

cer·tain ˈsər-tᵊn How to pronounce certain (audio)

: without any doubt : sure

Are you certain you saw her?

: known to be true

It's certain that they were here.

: known but not named

A certain person told me.

: being fixed or settled

a certain percentage of the profit

: bound by the way things are

Our plan is certain to succeed.

: sure to have an effect

a certain cure

certain

2 of 2

pronoun

: known ones that are not named

Certain of the students could work harder.

certain

adjective

as in one

known but not named a certain person told me that today is your birthday

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

one
some
given
specific
unspecified
unnamed
anonymous
particular
unidentified

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

known
named
specified

as in sure

having or showing a mind free from doubt I'm certain that they'll arrive on time

Synonyms & Similar Words

sure
confident
positive
assured
doubtless
implicit
clear
sanguine
cocksure
decisive
resolute
unwavering
self-assured
unquestioning
unfaltering
self-confident
unhesitating
self-conceited

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

uncertain
doubtful
unsure
dubious
hesitant
indecisive
unassuming
wavering
vacillating
diffident

as in stable

having been established and usually not subject to change a certain percentage of the profits will go to charity

Synonyms & Similar Words

stable
unchangeable
fixed
final
set
determinate
unchanging
specific
hard
firm
settled
frozen
hard-and-fast
constant
definite
flat
given
steady
exact
uniform
inexpugnable
explicit
good
stated
sure
true
stipulated
unwavering
nonnegotiable
reliable
responsible
safe
dependable
solid
noncancelable
nonadjustable
tried
trustworthy
trusty
tried-and-true

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

adjustable
changeable
negotiable
unspecified
indefinite
uncertain
variable
unpredictable
volatile
capricious
unstable
fluid
fluctuating
mercurial
mutable
temperamental
changeful
unsettled
inconstant
unsteady
open-ended
flickery

as in necessary

impossible to avoid or evade as he got older, the athlete began to feel the certain effects of the aging process on his body

Synonyms & Similar Words

necessary
inevitable
possible
definite
unavoidable
probable
sure
inescapable
ineluctable
unescapable
ineludible
decided
likely
on the cards
relentless
in the cards
predetermined
destined
settled
in the bag
predestined
fated
inexorable
preordained
foreordained
unremitting
unstoppable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

uncertain
unsure
doubtful
questionable
unclear
dubious
avoidable
unlikely
preventable
shaky
evadable
undecided
unsettled
improbable
unreliable
preventible
undependable

as in reliable

not likely to fail chicken soup is grandma's certain cure for pretty much whatever ails you

Synonyms & Similar Words

sure
reliable
surefire
can't-miss
infallible
unfailing
dependable
deadly
fail-safe
unerring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

uncertain
doubtful
questionable
fallible

as in definite

not capable of being challenged or proved wrong up to this point there's been no certain evidence that a crime has been committed

Synonyms & Similar Words

definite
positive
sure
indubitable
unquestionable
undeniable
indisputable
conclusive
incontestable
unarguable
inarguable
irrefutable
accomplished
incontrovertible
unanswerable
irrefragable
unchallengeable
absolute
unambiguous
clear
unequivocal
decisive
undisputed
unquestioned
uncontested
uncontradicted
hands-down

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

problematic
questionable
problematical
arguable
uncertain
debatable
controversial
doubtful
disputable
negotiable
dubious
disputed
answerable
moot
ambiguous
iffy
debated
theoretical
controvertible
doubtable
hypothetical
speculative
academic
contradictable
inconclusive
refutable
indecisive
theoretic
equivocal
academical

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of certain are cocksure, positive, and sure. While all these words mean "having no doubt or uncertainty," certain may apply to a basing of a conclusion or conviction on definite grounds or indubitable evidence.

police are certain about the cause of the fire

In some situations, the words cocksure and certain are roughly equivalent. However, cocksure implies presumptuous or careless positiveness.

you're always so cocksure about everything

While the synonyms positive and certain are close in meaning, positive intensifies sureness or certainty and may imply opinionated conviction or forceful expression of it.

I'm positive that's the person I saw

The words sure and certain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance.

felt sure that I had forgotten something

单词	certain
释义	certain 1 of 2 adjective cer·tain ˈsər-tᵊn 1 : fixed, settled a certain percentage of the profit 2 : of a specific but unspecified character, quantity, or degree the house has a certain charm 3 a : dependable, reliable a certain remedy for the disease b : known or proved to be true : indisputable it is certain that we exist 4 a : inevitable the certain advance of age b : incapable of failing : destined —used with a following infinitive she is certain to do well 5 : assured in mind or action I am certain they are right certain 2 of 2 pronoun plural in construction : certain ones certain of my generation W. B. Yeats Phrases for certain : as a certainty : assuredly the cause is not known for certain of a certain age : of a somewhat advanced age : no longer young remembered by people of a certain age Synonyms Adjective anonymous given one some unidentified unnamed unspecified See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Adjective I'm fairly certain that I'll be on time. a certain person told me that today is your birthday Recent Examples on the Web Adjective The law passed that year provided triggers that forced the legislature to place money into the rainy day fund — rather than spending it — if personal income taxes from Wall Street stock and bond gains exceeded certain levels. Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2022 The measures aim to protect the E.U. budget by making funding conditional on certain standards. Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2022 And the court's docket for the term that begins in October is all but certain to have major repercussions for the 2024 presidential election. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 18 Sep. 2022 Of course, this country offered a refuge for many Jewish families, and American Jews like me tend to grow up with a certain optimistic image of our country. James Mcauley, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2022 That unit of cloth was equal to a certain weight of silver. Francine Russo, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2022 For a certain strain of the British population, the loss of the Commonwealth sounds like good news. Kojo Koram, The New Republic, 18 Sep. 2022 The new annual stocking level of 1 million fish will allow the Michigan DNR to increase numbers at certain sites and reinstate stocking at some sites that were discontinued, Wesley said. Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2022 But while most of us enjoy music, there are certain people who don't just like music... Ni'kesia Pannell, Woman's Day, 17 Sep. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Adjective Middle English certeyn, certayne, borrowed from Anglo-French certein, certain, going back to Vulgar Latin certānus, from Latin certus* "fixed, settled, indisputable," originally past participle of cernere "to sift, discern, decide, determine" (going back to an Indo-European present stem kri-n-, verbal adjective kri-to-, from a verbal base krei̯̯̯(h₁)- "sift, separate," whence Greek krī́nein* "to separate, choose, decide," verbal adjective kritós, Welsh gogrynu "to sift") + -ānus + -an entry 2 Pronoun Middle English certyn, derivative of certeyn certain entry 1 First Known Use Adjective 13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Pronoun 15th century, in the meaning defined above Phrases Containing certain all but certain to a certain make certain of make certain of a certain age to a certain extent under certain circumstances for certain all but certain to a certain make certain of make certain of a certain age to a certain extent under certain circumstances for certain See More Kids Definition certain 1 of 2 adjective cer·tain ˈsər-tᵊn 1 : without any doubt : sure Are you certain you saw her? 2 : known to be true It's certain that they were here. 3 : known but not named A certain person told me. 4 : being fixed or settled a certain percentage of the profit 5 : bound by the way things are Our plan is certain to succeed. 6 : sure to have an effect a certain cure certain 2 of 2 pronoun : known ones that are not named Certain of the students could work harder. certain adjective 1 as in one known but not named a certain person told me that today is your birthday Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance one some given specific unspecified unnamed anonymous particular unidentified Antonyms & Near Antonyms known named specified 2 as in sure having or showing a mind free from doubt I'm certain that they'll arrive on time Synonyms & Similar Words sure confident positive assured doubtless implicit clear sanguine cocksure decisive resolute unwavering self-assured unquestioning unfaltering self-confident unhesitating self-conceited Antonyms & Near Antonyms uncertain doubtful unsure dubious hesitant indecisive unassuming wavering vacillating diffident See More 3 as in stable having been established and usually not subject to change a certain percentage of the profits will go to charity Synonyms & Similar Words stable unchangeable fixed final set determinate unchanging specific hard firm settled frozen hard-and-fast constant definite flat given steady exact uniform inexpugnable explicit good stated sure true stipulated unwavering nonnegotiable reliable responsible safe dependable solid noncancelable nonadjustable tried trustworthy trusty tried-and-true Antonyms & Near Antonyms adjustable changeable negotiable unspecified indefinite uncertain variable unpredictable volatile capricious unstable fluid fluctuating mercurial mutable temperamental changeful unsettled inconstant unsteady open-ended flickery See More 4 as in necessary impossible to avoid or evade as he got older, the athlete began to feel the certain effects of the aging process on his body Synonyms & Similar Words necessary inevitable possible definite unavoidable probable sure inescapable ineluctable unescapable ineludible decided likely on the cards relentless in the cards predetermined destined settled in the bag predestined fated inexorable preordained foreordained unremitting unstoppable Antonyms & Near Antonyms uncertain unsure doubtful questionable unclear dubious avoidable unlikely preventable shaky evadable undecided unsettled improbable unreliable preventible undependable See More 5 as in reliable not likely to fail chicken soup is grandma's certain cure for pretty much whatever ails you Synonyms & Similar Words sure reliable surefire can't-miss infallible unfailing dependable deadly fail-safe unerring Antonyms & Near Antonyms uncertain doubtful questionable fallible 6 as in definite not capable of being challenged or proved wrong up to this point there's been no certain evidence that a crime has been committed Synonyms & Similar Words definite positive sure indubitable unquestionable undeniable indisputable conclusive incontestable unarguable inarguable irrefutable accomplished incontrovertible unanswerable irrefragable unchallengeable absolute unambiguous clear unequivocal decisive undisputed unquestioned uncontested uncontradicted hands-down Antonyms & Near Antonyms problematic questionable problematical arguable uncertain debatable controversial doubtful disputable negotiable dubious disputed answerable moot ambiguous iffy debated theoretical controvertible doubtable hypothetical speculative academic contradictable inconclusive refutable indecisive theoretic equivocal academical See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of certain are cocksure, positive, and sure. While all these words mean "having no doubt or uncertainty," certain may apply to a basing of a conclusion or conviction on definite grounds or indubitable evidence. police are certain about the cause of the fire In some situations, the words cocksure and certain are roughly equivalent. However, cocksure implies presumptuous or careless positiveness. you're always so cocksure about everything While the synonyms positive and certain are close in meaning, positive intensifies sureness or certainty and may imply opinionated conviction or forceful expression of it. I'm positive that's the person I saw The words sure and certain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance. felt sure that I had forgotten something Phrases Containing certain of a certain age for certain of a certain age for certain
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certain

adjective

pronoun

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing certain

Kids Definition

adjective

pronoun

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Phrases Containing certain