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certain

adjective
cer·​tain | \ ˈsər-tᵊn How to pronounce certain (audio) \

Definition of certain

 (Entry 1 of 2)

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
3a : dependable, reliable a certain remedy for the disease
b : known or proved to be true : indisputable it is certain that we exist
4a : 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
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

certain

pronoun, plural in construction

Definition of certain (Entry 2 of 2)

: certain ones certain of my generation— W. B. Yeats
Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about certain

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Synonyms for certain

Synonyms: Adjective

anonymous, given, one, some, unidentified, unnamed, unspecified

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Choose the Right Synonym for certain

Adjective

sure, certain, positive, cocksure mean having no doubt or uncertainty. sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance. felt sure that I had forgotten something 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 positive intensifies sureness or certainty and may imply opinionated conviction or forceful expression of it. I'm positive that's the person I saw cocksure implies presumptuous or careless positiveness. you're always so cocksure about everything

Examples of certain in a Sentence

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

 Regulatory pressure for electric uptake is less certain in the U.S., where the Trump administration has sought to relax standards set by the Obama administration. — David Mchugh, USA TODAY, "Volkswagen places massive bet on electric cars: Will consumers buy in?," 9 Sep. 2019 With 11 candidates having likely qualified, the debate is almost certain to be split over two days. — Allan Smith, NBC News, "Tom Steyer appears to qualify for October Democratic debate," 8 Sep. 2019 The future cash flows from stocks are not as certain as those from government bonds. — The Economist, "Why yields are the best guide to future stockmarket returns," 7 Sep. 2019 Of course, few people outside the U.S. Justice Department and Nike know for certain whether Nike ever was subpoenaed. — oregonlive, "Avenatti demands more documents from Nike," 6 Sep. 2019 One thing is for certain: Miska aims to provide quality depth behind Avs starter Philipp Grubauer and backup Pavel Francouz. — Mike Chambers, The Denver Post, "Newcomer Hunter Miska adds goaltending insurance for Avalanche," 6 Sep. 2019 The official death toll in the Bahamas stood at 20 and was certain to climb. — Fox News, "Blind man in Bahamas braved Hurricane Dorian floodwaters with disabled adult son on his shoulders: report," 6 Sep. 2019 In order to avoid the same series of crises, delays, and humiliations, Parliament is also now certain to trigger an election before this new date. — Stephen Paduano, The New Republic, "Boris Johnson Goes for Broke," 6 Sep. 2019 What is almost certain is that feeding him at home would have been far cheaper. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Starving seniors: America is failing to feed its aging citizens, which is costly to them and to everyone else," 5 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'certain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of certain

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Pronoun, plural in construction

15th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for certain

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, plural in construction

Middle English certyn, derivative of certeyn certain entry 1 — see certain entry 1

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More Definitions for certain

certain

adjective
How to pronounce certain (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of certain

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: not having any doubt about something : convinced or sure
—used with it to say that something is known to be true or correct
—used to say that something will definitely happen or that someone will definitely do something —often followed by to + verb

certain

pronoun

English Language Learners Definition of certain (Entry 2 of 2)

formal : certain ones : particular members of a group

See the full definition for certain in the English Language Learners Dictionary

certain

adjective
cer·​tain | \ ˈsər-tᵊn How to pronounce certain (audio) \

Kids Definition of certain

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : without any doubt : sure Are you certain you saw her?
2 : known to be true It's certain that they were here.
3

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