certain
1 of 2adjective
certain
2 of 2pronoun
W. B. Yeats
Synonyms
Adjective
- anonymous
- given
- one
- some
- unidentified
- unnamed
- unspecified
Example Sentences
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
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
Adjective
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Pronoun
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing certain
Kids Definition
certain 1 of 2
adjective
certain
2 of 2pronoun
certain
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- one
- some
- given
- specific
- unspecified
- unnamed
- anonymous
- particular
- unidentified
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- known
- named
- specified
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
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
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
- sure
- reliable
- surefire
- can't-miss
- infallible
- unfailing
- dependable
- deadly
- fail-safe
- unerring
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- uncertain
- doubtful
- questionable
- fallible
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.
In some situations, the words cocksure and certain are roughly equivalent. However, cocksure implies presumptuous or careless positiveness.
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.
The words sure and certain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance.