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certain
[sur-tn]
adjective
free from doubt or reservation; confident; sure.
I am certain he will come.
Synonyms:destined; sure to happen (usually followed by an infinitive).
He is certain to be there.
inevitable; bound to come.
They realized then that war was certain.
established as true or sure; unquestionable; indisputable.
It is certain that he tried.
Synonyms: , , , , , ,fixed; agreed upon; settled.
on a certain day; for a certain amount.
Synonyms:definite or particular, but not named or specified.
A certain person phoned. He had a certain charm.
that may be depended on; trustworthy; unfailing; reliable.
His aim was certain.
some though not much.
a certain reluctance.
Obsolete.steadfast.
pronoun
certain ones.
Certain of the members declined the invitation.
certain
/ ˈɜːə /
adjective
(postpositive) positive and confident about the truth of something; convinced
I am certain that he wrote a book
(usually postpositive) definitely known
it is certain that they were on the bus
(usually postpositive) sure; bound; destined
he was certain to fail
decided or settled upon; fixed
the date is already certain for the invasion
unfailing; reliable
his judgment is certain
moderate or minimum
to a certain extent
to ensure (that one will get something); confirm
adverb
definitely; without a doubt
he will win for certain
determiner
known but not specified or named
certain people may doubt this
( as pronoun; functioning as plural )
certain of the members have not paid their subscriptions
named but not known
he had written to a certain Mrs Smith
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of certain1
Idioms and Phrases
for certain, without a doubt; surely.
I know for certain that I have seen that face before.
Example Sentences
The order also agreed to remove tariffs on certain kinds of aerospace products.
You bring kids on stage at certain points in the special.
Ms Gormley said migrants were "very resilient" but at the moment they were avoiding going out late at night and avoiding certain streets.
Even certain massage outlets, such as Massage Envy, offer 30 and 60-minute assisted stretching sessions.
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.
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When To Use
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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