51Թ

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View synonyms for

certain

[sur-tn]

adjective

  1. free from doubt or reservation; confident; sure.

    I am certain he will come.

    Synonyms:
  2. destined; sure to happen (usually followed by an infinitive).

    He is certain to be there.

  3. inevitable; bound to come.

    They realized then that war was certain.

  4. established as true or sure; unquestionable; indisputable.

    It is certain that he tried.

    Synonyms: , , , , , ,
  5. fixed; agreed upon; settled.

    on a certain day; for a certain amount.

    Synonyms:
  6. definite or particular, but not named or specified.

    A certain person phoned. He had a certain charm.

  7. that may be depended on; trustworthy; unfailing; reliable.

    His aim was certain.

  8. some though not much.

    a certain reluctance.

  9. Obsolete.steadfast.



pronoun

  1. certain ones.

    Certain of the members declined the invitation.

certain

/ ˈɜːə /

adjective

  1. (postpositive) positive and confident about the truth of something; convinced

    I am certain that he wrote a book

  2. (usually postpositive) definitely known

    it is certain that they were on the bus

  3. (usually postpositive) sure; bound; destined

    he was certain to fail

  4. decided or settled upon; fixed

    the date is already certain for the invasion

  5. unfailing; reliable

    his judgment is certain

  6. moderate or minimum

    to a certain extent

  7. to ensure (that one will get something); confirm

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. definitely; without a doubt

    he will win for certain

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

determiner

    1. known but not specified or named

      certain people may doubt this

    2. ( as pronoun; functioning as plural )

      certain of the members have not paid their subscriptions

  1. named but not known

    he had written to a certain Mrs Smith

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of certain1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin Գܲ (unrecorded), from Latin cert(us) “sure, settled” (adjective use of past participle of cernere “to decide, separate, sift”) + -Գܲ -an
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of certain1

C13: from Old French, from Latin certus sure, fixed, from cernere to discern, decide
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. for certain, without a doubt; surely.

    I know for certain that I have seen that face before.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The order also agreed to remove tariffs on certain kinds of aerospace products.

From

You bring kids on stage at certain points in the special.

From

Ms Gormley said migrants were "very resilient" but at the moment they were avoiding going out late at night and avoiding certain streets.

From

Even certain massage outlets, such as Massage Envy, offer 30 and 60-minute assisted stretching sessions.

From

The vaccines also help newborns, as antibodies generated by the mom-to-be cross the placenta, and can protect the newborn for a certain number of months, she said.

From

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When To Use

What are other ways to saycertain?

Someone who is certain of something is free from doubt or reservation about it. How is certain different from sure, confident, and positive? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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